Van Saga Update
Posted by mcummings
In the end, Meineke came through, looked at everything NTB claimed was wrong with the van and whittled it down to just one thing. And a ton less money. I know I feel greatly relieved. Sure, the month remains tight budget-wise, and there's still the ABS light to 100% resolve, but the thousands of dollars of repairs that NTB claimed we needed have been dismissed down to a couple hundred dollars in pads.
Now, back to real life!
And another week is off
Posted by mcummings
Greetings blogosphere! As I type this, the van is up on the air yet again. Last week's work came with dire warnings - some sounding outrageous but then the ABS light came on, so we've decided to side with caution.
Which is why I'm in a Meineke, getting a second opion/estimate. Worst case, the verdict is the same. Either way, we're looking at a lean summer to save up for the work. Oddly enough, I think Kim and the kids are doing ok. Oh, sure, she'll be a grey haired mess by July, but for now we're doing ok.
I'll post a writing update later, just wanted to sum up the chaos that is Chez Cummings real fast. Later, kids!
Dear fickle hearted universe
Posted by mcummings
Dear Universe,
We get it. Enough already. Stop taking out your "am I inflationary or deflationary?" angst out on my family. Stop lobbing things at us because no one will let you exceed the light speed limit. I don't think dark matter makes you look ugly, and even if it does, live with it, this is the card you were dealt. Stop obsessing over the gravity sinks, aka black holes, that are gathering all of your shiny bits and just be happy that they're slow and fascinating and last a really long time and don't leave a mess behind. Most of all, stop taking it out on us.
This message was brought to you by the "its only gone 19000 miles in four years, give me a break already on the repairs it needs" minivan club.
ThinkGeek commercial! On REAL TV stations!
Posted by mcummings
For all you with cable (ironically, this blogger excluded), ThinkGeek is going to have its TV ad-time debut starting tomorrow! And not on the Foot Fungus Channel, or the Grass Camera Stream Channel, but on real stations! So look for the guitar shirt on the following networks:
- BBCAmerica
- G4
- SyFy
- Discovery Channel
- Cartoon Network (adult swim timeframe)
And except for Cartoon Network, I can safely say that it will be on during shows you actually watch already if you watch the networks in question 
Happy Monday
Posted by mcummings
For many years, I considered Mondays to be the bane of existence. They certainly transcended the calendar, being defined as the first day back to work no matter what their titular day was.
And yet today, a Monday, it strikes me that I don't mind so much. Sure, I have a ton of work waiting for me. And with looming work comes stress, even lightly. Its practically unavoidable. But today I feel more like the guy in this picture I took (That black, yellow, and orange blob? That's a bumblebee). That bee is working the flowers, collecting pollen, moving on with the day despite it being Monday.
Now, I know, this is starting to come off as one of those touchy feely posts where everyone locks arms and sings as they dance across the hilltop, taking their measure of the magic sauce and blithely stepping into the gaping maw of the dragon. Maybe its because despite the work load, I'm somewhat excited to get going this week. Writing is coming along nicely, which of course as anyone will tell you is easy to say when you're only 10 thousand words into a story. See if I sing the same tune when I'm 20, 30, or 50 thousand words into it. But right this second, sitting on top of the world. Me and my buddy, the bumble bee.
And don't let me get started on the improbability of flight dynamics for the little bugger.