My lower back really hurt. Ow. Take a break from landscaping for the day.

The Lumina will be replaced by a 2003 Chevy Malibu. It seems to be an exact newer version of my car, save the color.

Since my Dad will own this car at the start, I can’t use the DRGNWVR plate. I’m thinking of using 0PT1MUS. I wonder if it’s free. Oh, look, it is!

There’s also this one:

Decisions, decisions.

Manual labor isn’t half bad. It’s getting back out there once I’ve sat down for a break that’s the difficult part. I’ll get used to it, get into it, and get money for it. That’s the important part to remember. Stress-releasing and health-helping work that I’m getting paid for.

I find myself drinking more fluids and eating more fruits. Still, I find myself getting nearly no rest while I sleep. I’m unsure if it’s the bed, the general environment, or my particular state of mind. To quote , this bears investigation.

Known needed repairs:

Exhaust system.
Catylettic (sp?) converter.
Front and rear shocks and struts.
Front brake rotors.

New repairs as of today:

Transmission side pan is leaking.
Transmission main pan is leaking.
Coolant is leaking from a rusted pipe in the fender.
Coolant is leaking from a valve near the radiator.
The serpentine belt needs to be replaced.
The tie rod ends are almost completely degraded.
A ball joint is almost totally done, which has been causing the vibrating when I brake at high speeds… it wasn’t warped front brake rotors.

This means that the Lumina is dead. Long live the Malibu? The Cavalier? The Sunfire? We shall see.

I’ve had a headache all day. They grey and dull of the day have matched my headache well.

Yesterday was huge in a subtle way. Visiting the Lansing area was much like trying to be friends with an ex-girlfriend, too soon after the breakup. Almost every event seemed to conspire to tell me to leave, to get the hell out, that things would just be better if Lansing and I didn’t see each other for a long time.

and I arrived into town in the afternoon. We stopped so that she could feed and water ‘s cats and water her plants. From there, we went to the MSU Union to use the computers at the lab. Once again, ethernet seems like bliss. After that, we went to the Fortress to pick up comics for me and to wait for game to start. CARP night, no Giovanni game. Bummer. We met , Huggy and Eric at Theio’s and to give back his CD. Apparently there was a Werewolf game running at the Childrens’ Gardens, but we weren’t really interested. We took some time trying to figure out something to do. My bro (AKA crampto4, Wunjo, Skeletor) was in the TWP. He’d arrived shortly after I left. had also headed for the Detroit area, for Luna.

The general creepiness of ‘s father’s house, combined with my desire to hang out with my brother and made a strong argument for returning to the Twp without spending the night in Lansing. I couldn’t decide. So we went to Cold Stone to get the world’s best ice cream, and then watched the Weepers play outside in downtown East Lansing. That was a wonderful time, and included getting one of the funniest damn voice mails ever. “I’m going to shove your cell phone up your pee-hole!!” I’m still chuckling over it. Anyway, from there we went to her Dad’s place to pick up some ritual tools, then over to Beal. Good things happened. Infinitely less bug bites than we should have had. Heh. I ended up staying, which was what I needed to do.

For me, but also for .

I awoke with a headache. had to get her phone converted to a plan from pre-pay with her mother, so I headed back over to the Union lab. Humid and hot. So I left after a bit and headed out ‘s way. I finally got in contact with him via phone, and he was having a chill-out/alone kind of day. We discussed Ann Arbor housing costs (“That’s homo with a capital GAY!”), Luna, and peoples that we’d hung out with unti I got on the highway. The rain spat intermittently from the clouds until I hit 696, when it finally got some balls and did some all-out downpouring. And then I was back in Shelby Township.

Ådvil, a small nap, and Ghost in the Shell are good remedies for headaches and consumables for the soul. Now, I think I’m going to write some return letters and watch another movie. Or spend some time online. Whatever.

So, last night, at IPM, I DJ’ed for the first time. According to the peoples around, I didn’t do a bad job for playing 2 tracks I knew, and 9 that I’d randomly pulled out of the selection. Heh. I’m looking forward to that show being posted.

I’m in Lansing right now, well on MSU campus to be specific, and I will be at Fortress tonight. I’ll be returning to the Twp. tomorrow sometime.

I really enjoyed DJ’ing, and only made one mistake. I bumped the level up too quickly on one track. Not too bad for my first time… especially since no DJ’s except for were actually there. And he was dead from moving and his GF.

Best of all, was able to make it, even though couldn’t give her a ride. (No sweat, man, I totally respect your decision.)

Now I have to decide between DJ Skippy, Skipford J, SkipMo-D, and DJ Prime. Damnit, I bet DJ Prime is already in use. ;)

You’d be surprised how long it can take to catch up on a week of LJ when you’re connected at speeds between 24K and 28.8K. Let me fill in the blank for you. A long damn time.

Thanks to all of the congrats (and conga-rats!) about the job. I’m really excited and can’t wait to be receiving money for my brain once again. :) Or, at least, for my ear glued to a headset. Heh.

As I wait for the truck to get here to fix the glass in my car door, I may just go and get my novel pieces and do some work. Hrm. Maaaybe.

I am no longer among the unemployed.

That’s right, as of August 18th, I start with Comcast as a “Technical Support Specialist.” Back into the trenches.

In the mean time, to earn my keep in the T-W-P, I may just be doing landscaping around the house. Outside. In the sunlight. With the physical labor.

Changes and changes and changes.