Deflating Summer

It's been a while. It's been a looong while. The accident really knocked the wind out of me. For a couple of weeks, I couldn't get myself to write or play music or draw or game or read or walk or jog. Nothing but... Bleh-ness. I actually had the car donated. Went to the impound where it lay, got all of my stuff out. Ripped out the stereo, gutted the glove compartment, raided the change drawer. Removed the license plate. And as I walked away for the last time, I was more than a little choked up. Over that dumb little green Acura that has cost me way too much in maintenance. Argh. The impound attendant that came with me was an old and slightly grumpy man, being rather short and complaining about this and that. And as a sigh whispered out from my lips and my shoulders slumped as I turned away to go, something shone in within his grizzled outlook. "She served you well. Don't worry, you'll find another." Maybe not poetic or grand, but right then and there, after I had just stripped everything of value from the body of a friend... That comment lodged a lump in my throat.

The worst part is that it was sitting there with a full tank. A month prior, I had had an engine flush and oil change. Two more months before that, I got new brakes put on. Yeah, financially that's just adding insult to injury. But what really stung was that it was probably running the best it had been since I got it. I was looking forward to the rest of the summer together.

Sigh.

But now it's no more. And while the insurance drags out, as such things tend to do, I'm trying to sort out the if and how of getting a car for the next year of school. I can't stop thinking of the end goal for once I graduate, though: a new(ish) car. I've been paying far too close attention to the new and used markets, and reading reviews and checking stats for various automobiles that on the market. One thing at a time, yes?


Ok, because I haven't written in so long I have a LOT of stuff I want to talk about. Too much stuff. I've found myself wanting to put off posting because there was so much to get through. But I need to get my foot in the door and keep going. So I'll plow through a bunch of ideas in point-ish form, so that they won't be hanging over me. Here we go.

• Not too long ago I had a chance to visit with my grandmother. I was present while she was talking about her community with my aunt and uncle about. She was mentioning something about how there were several religions in the area, but they all had congregations that were so small that they couldn't afford to keep their buildings. She then proposed that maybe they should all share a building, profoundly stating that "after all, it's all worshiping the same God, just in different ways." Wow. That really struck a chord with me - that these people are doing their best to pursue their own version of happiness through living a life that resonates with their version of happiness. And even if the specifics are different, the end goal is still the same. We all share the same God(s), we just acknowledge it in separate ways. So why can't we work together to help eachother along, even when we might not share the same views? It's a beautiful idea. We all share something in common, and there's no reason why we have to be at eachother's throat about it.
• Been trying to bomb through as much dental work as I can. I've been putting it off way too long, and it has just recently dawned on me that I can save a LOT of money if I get everything taken care of while I'm still in school and covered by insurance. I may need to have my wisdom teeth out, which I'm not looking forward to, but everything else is pretty doable. I need to stop slacking around, though, because my teeth are in terrible condition. 
• Speaking of which, I should book an optomitrest appointment and get me an update perscription. Things don't seem too bad right now, but I'm sure it's one of those things you don't recognize is deteriorating until you get it properly looked at.
• I got a new (used) phone. A Nexus S. Pretty fancy stuff, much quicker than the old G1 I was using. Having a smart phone on hand is incredible, it really changes how you interact with the world. I just need to get some accessories. For example, I only have one Micro USB chord, which I left at the office. I'm trying to make it through the weekend on only one charge. I don't think it's going to work.
• School starts in just under two weeks. Yikes. Lots to do.
• ...I was thinking of writing about the vacation I took, but that's probably going to take a little while in and of itself. I'll save that for the next post.
• I took a lot of photos while on vacation, though. And for the most part, they turned out almost good. Lots that were just a smidge out of focus, or just slightly crooked, or a bit over exposed, or have some weird element peeking into the frame. But I'm getting better, I think. I could use a wide-angle lens, though.
• I saw Dark Knight Rises, which was pretty good. I really enjoyed a lot of the cues from the comic books. And I ain't no buff when it comes to the books, but I caught some really cool hints to the ones I'm familiar with. I thought the movie did a great job of bringing the other previous films together into one story. They did a good job of incorporating all the different elements into something bigger. The ending was a bit too sappy though - I felt like everything was tied up too nicely. I dug how they included/introduced Robin, though. But the last scene with Alfred felt waaaay too forced and cheery. And the statue was a bit too much. I almost wish Batman would've died to save us from the overly optimistic conclusion. Oh well.
• Go watch the Senna documentary movie. It's quite good, even if you're not into F1/motorsports.
• I'm about to embark on my last and final year (I hope) of education. Insert obligatory angst here.

Ok, I need to go do... Something else now. I'm glad that I've started posting again, though.
-Cril

And when you finally fly away
I'll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell

Rod Stewart - Forever Young