The Towel

In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", we are told that a towel is the most important possession a person can have. Of its many different uses, we are told that it can be brandished as a weapon. I can tell you that while it might not be lethal in a street fight, it can do the trick if you come across a roach when you are finished with your shower. A few good swats should do the trick, but then you might want to think about letting the towel go for a cycle in the washing machine.

Happy b-day to me

So today I celebrate my 28th birthday. Another year gone and marked at this point on the calendar. It got me thinking back over the past year since this date in 2008, and things I have learned or seen along the way.
First and foremost, if you want to be successful at anything in life, then learn this one thing: put God first in your life. I am still learning this lesson every day. "TGIF" should stand for "Today God Is First".
Keeping your tires properly inflated will actually get you better gas milage. I know, its almost too good to believe, yet how many of us actually check the pressure on a regular basis?
Got debt? Most of us do, but I learned about a method called "snowballing". Start with the smallest debt you have and pay as much extra as you can while still covering the minimum balance on everything else. Once that debt is paid off, take that payment and combine it with the minimum on the next biggest debt you have. Repeat until everything is paid off, then put all that into the bank or invest it as you see fit. I highly suggest Crown Financial if you find this method worthwhile, you might find other info that could help you out.
When building a shed in your backyard, I strongly urge to never do it in a hurry, and be very careful not to skip any instructions. Also, do not force anything in to place that is obviously not going to fit, go back and double check the instructions to make sure everything is correct. Also, I urge you not to bang on anything with your hand. Metal hurts, bad.
Wish I had some more revelations about things I learned or observed over the course of a year, but I will keep you posted if anything new comes to mind.

Please pull forward

The other day I saw what has to be a small glimpse into what our culture has become: we thrive on convenience, and it is making us lazy and messing with our logic. At my local post office we have a drive through lane that is nothing more than a lane that you pull into that runs parallel to the street. On that lane near the end are two mail boxes. This allows you to pull up, drop off mail, and continue on your way. I saw someone in a giant SUV pull up to these boxes in an obvious rush, deposit their mail, then pulled out and quickly made their way into the post office parking lot, nearly hitting someone in the process. I guess this person saw that they could drop off their mail without ever getting out of the car, but they still needed to go into the post office for something. Why not park the car, drop off the mail, then go inside? Or better yet, why not use the mail drop inside the building since they were obviously heading that way? I think we have become too conditioned over the past decade or so to go for things that are supposed to make our lives easier. Think about it, you can go to the bank, pick up your prescriptions, get some lunch, and send off your bills, all without ever having to leave your car, but are we better off? Sometimes logic and reasoning, as well as getting some fresh air, all go out the window when we see something we assume is suppose to make our lives quicker and simpler.

A sit-uation

A long time companion of mine has let me know that it is time we part ways soon. My computer chair showed me the other day that it was leaking out fluid from the height adjuster, and started to sag more than normal. As I sit and type this it now bottoms out on its highest setting. It has been with me through a lot, and I'll admit I have spent way too much time with it in the past. Come moving day it will be one thing that gets tossed in the trash and I will be considering a replacement. Thank you mr. computer chair for supporting my bottom all of these years, I hope the next chair is just as kind to me as you were.

Almost found a diamond in the rough

I try to save money where I can. Take for instance my car. I only bought it because the car I had before it was starting to cost more than what it was worth. I have not, nor do I plan, to customize it beyond what I had done in my first few months of ownership (window tint/dash guard/tow hitch). About a year ago one of the sun visors broke, so I visited the dealership. Turns out, not covered under warranty. The car is now 9 years old, but at times it feels older than that, and I feel like I am searching around for parts like it is a classic vehicle. To replace both of them I am looking at almost $300 for a new set, so I have been keeping my eye open for any 2000 to 2006 sentra that is heading for the junkyard. Since they are not that old yet, if any are destined for the scrape heap they seem to be stripped and sold off before I can ever get near them. I once turned off the road on my way to church because I saw one on a flatbed tow truck, but the sun visors were already gone. While I was out today at work I saw one that obviously had been slammed from behind, but it looked in decent shape. Unfortunately the car was in a locked lot, and there was no number in the window. The body shop across the street has no affiliation to the lot, and told me that whoever owns the lot seems to get ahold of cars like that, and then sells them off to certain people as a whole, no parting out. Grrrrr, I am too cheap to pay the OEM cost, so I guess my inner car guy will continue to keep looking until I truly find that diamond in the rough. Anyone out there got a set of grey or tan visors, preferably non-lighted, mirror or no mirror, for a B15 Sentra? Shoot me a comment and lets discuss.