So I go out to my car today to find the right front tire devoid of air. Of course I discover this late enough that most tire places are already closed. I do have time to make it to Les Schwab, but I'm not sure whether or not they stock the appropriate tire. After sitting in their lobby for an hour I find out, no, they will have to order the tire from out of state. They will, however, be happy to put a loaner wheel on my car for the next week while the tire ships. I decide to wait til the morning and see if I can find a place that stocks the correct tire. In the course of the evening, I also discover that a single tire for the Acura will cost close to double what it would cost to put four new tires on the civic. C'est la vie.
posted by Tom 8:59 PM
Wednesday, January 08, 2003
Tomorrow is my last day of freedom. Friday I have to go in to the office. I don't know whether I'll do any work Friday or if I'll just go pick up my ID and log into my accounts to make sure they are all set up correctly. I'll probably have to call my manager tomorrow and find out what's going on. Today was pretty laid back. I went to the library, drove up the SPU to have lunch with sis, and rode with the cuz to meet her boy in Redmond. Next time I post I'll probably have something exciting to say, like how boring my job is, but for now this is all I've got. Have a good one.
posted by Tom 10:08 PM
Sunday, January 05, 2003
It's only 10:45, so why does it feel like 2:00 in the morning? Oh well, maybe if it feels like 2:00, I'll be able to sleep like it's 2:00 when I go to bed. That's right, it's time to start adjusting my body from it's vacation schedule to a decent working schedule. And by decent, I mean hours of the morning that should only be seen if you stay up to see them; no person in their right mind would ever get up this early. I'm going to be working in Everett, but I'm currently living in the city of Kent. Kent is sort of a suburb to the southeast of Seattle. Everett is it's own city about thirty miles north of Seattle. It realistically should take about 45 minutes to cover the distance between my house and my office, but the Seattle area is known to have one of the most congested road systems in the country. Traffic like you wouldn't believe (unless you're one of my readers from overseas; Naples and Manila are definitely worse) turns freeways into parking lots from 5:00am to 7:00pm. So in order to be at my desk by 7:00, I will have to leave the house by 5:30. Throw in a shower, shave, and quick breakfast and I'll probably be waking up around 4:30. Eleven hours later I'm off the clock and back in the car for the afternoon commute. Oh, the fun that comes with a steady paycheck. None of this is what I planned on writing when I sat down. I was actually feeling a little left out as I talked with a few friends who have returned to campus for the start of a new semester. Of course none of them were excited about the prospect of starting classes Tuesday, but I'm a little bit jealous of the fact that they are back there. The first night back from break was always good, a chance to catch up with everyone. I know a few people up here, but outside of my relatives there are only superficial relationships. I've had enough down time. I'm ready for some activity, the kind of activity that spontaneously breaks out when a group of good friends who haven't seen each other in awhile get back together. But, for the first time in several years, there are no friends. There are only memories of good times past and a hope that those friends who are still together are enjoying thier time to the fullest.
posted by Tom 11:05 PM
It starts with the shoe. Maybe the next day it's a t-shirt or a sock. You don't know if the washing machine ate it, or your roommate borrowed it a month ago and forgot that it was yours. All you know is that by the end of the week, you're walking to class naked because you don't have any clothes left.
