i'm checking out the spex on my new and improved movable type installation. i hope it works!

this last week i came down with a cold of sorts (in the summer, ironic) but now i'm suffering from an entirely different disease. i call it "boredtiredhungry" because whenever i get tired of staring at my computer screen i stand up and say one of the following "i'm bored", "i'm tired", or "i'm hungry". after i utter my sloppy mix of non-emotion, i'll take intermittent trips to the kitchen to open the fridge, retrieve nothing, and then coming back to my computer screen.

then move myself from the recliner to the bed. from the bed to the table. from the table to the couch.

tv goes on. tv goes off. tv goes on. tv goes off.

pick up guitar. play guitar. put guitar down.

yell at the parrots to shut up. coo the parrots. cover the parrots. repeat.

i'm not sure if it's ADD or what. and it's not that i'm lacking things to do. i've spent a bit of time this summer making webpages for trent and there's always work to do there. i'm just lazy.

i also have to watch like 7 hours of anime this week.. (foreshadowing for a truely exciting blogpost).. so i could be doing that.

this week Mom is dog-sitting a little schnauzer named Rosie who is high-attention-maintenance. so that is providing some entertainment. but walking up and down three flights of stairs just to go potty is getting tiresome. dang ol' humidity.

i don't even know what i'm feeling. maybe a more accurate name for my disease would be "houston".

well i bought my car. it's a total g-sled. people ask me what color it is, and i reply "do diamonds really have a color? because it's covered in diamonds." it can drive up a mountain in the rain during an atomic bomb raid. it comes with ejection seats and a laser gun turret on the top and smashes my enemies to bits like ants in a magnifying glass. it doesn't have a stereo because the car somes with Los Hurricanes Del Norte in the back seat. and the car can sing it's own songs, it has a wide range of glass shattering notes and will make you weep when you feel the soul of Otis Redding. this is my car. this is my new pimped out g-ride.

buying a car has been quite an adventure. and one part was learning my FICO score. as adultish and boring as this is, I've spent quite a bit of time worried about this. being billmaster for a house of 7 guys had me worried. and i'm not the best bill payer on the planet.

the financial book(s) i browse through are all talking about your FICO score. so i was curious...

it turns out I have great credit. hallelujah. i'm quite fortunate. i liken it to getting a D in college (like i did). once you have a D, you spend the rest of your college career trying to bring your grade up. thankfully i'm doing good and if i don't blow it, i can look forward to lower interest rates in my future...

...now if i only had a job...

In a wild turn of events, it seems that I will be buying a car within the week. In my mind I've prepared for everything and was well aware of the possibility of buying a car upon my arrival back in the states, but it's still a shock to be a cell phone and a car owner (and unemployed) within the first three weeks of my arrival.

first off i'm buying a new car. "Why new, Poorman?" you ask, well I've had bad luck with A/Cs, radiamatrons, and whatnot in the past, and just want something new and sparkly. I know what you're thinking... "the Stanza was a fine car!" Yes, yes it was, but it's time to move on I think.

Today I went and looked at new cars and I think I've picked it all out (with the help of a Frenchman). Japan-o-phile that I am, I've decided to buy foreign. I liked those Toyota Yaris commercials on the ol' TV and thought "this might be the car for me", until today when I sat in it. It was small - and this coming from the guy who drove a Mitsubishi Toppo around. The commercials (and the internet) say starting at $12,000, but the lady said differently - starting at $16,000. heart attack! for a car that I could barely fit into, and couldn't fit my guitar + 2 people (i always drive with a guitar and two people), clearly this car wasn't going to work.

Next! without even changing lots, I looked at the Scions. I like these cars. Fixed prices - No haggling. Makes you feel first world. Also, power everything is standard - which I was surprised that in the year 2006 everything isn't powered, I mean, come on folks, we were supposed to have flying cars by now. I checked out two.

the xA was a smooth vehicle, looks fast, feels fast (probably isn't that fast), and has a similar look as the Yaris, but has 4 doors and 18x as much room. Still though, sitting in it felt a little cramped - i'm not that huge, honest - and the guitar in the back was also an issue.

the xB, however, looks like it might be the perfect fit. awkwardly box-y, but lots of head room, this car meets my needs (guitar + 2 friends) and has geeky things like iPod jacks and stuff. and I liked this car in Japan - where it's known as the Toyota bB.

TADA~!! i'll probably buy a car this week. shocking. exciting. gas guzzling. bank account emptying. debt incurring. pre-approved financing. gear shifting. adult making. cell phone matching. quantum leaping. action action action.

Any last minute advice is welcome.

these are some more additions i'd like to add to "what i like about being home":

tejano radio
the Castle family smile
shoes my size!
free book shipping
debit card swiping
7:00AM The Daily Show
7:30AM The Colbert Report
coffee shops w/ free wifi

more additions to come i'm sure. conversely, "what i like about america" could be countered by a pretty good list of "things i hate about america".