titansphere.com

My Handsome graduated this Saturday, June 14, 2008, from Western Oregon University. He scored a 2.95 GPA with a Bachelor of Arts in Information Systems (i.e. computer networks, hardware, security, etc.) and a minor in German. Essentially he is the hardware guy and I’m the software girl; we make a great team!

Congratulations!

If you had told me at the beginning of the year that I’d be totally replacing my vehicles inside of two months, I’d have laughed at you. However, I now find myself the proud owner of not only my new 2008 Prius but also a 2000 VW Beetle.

The bug is replacing our Grand Am. Its black and has less miles than the Grand Am. It also gets almost twice the gas mileage and also costs less in insurance. AND, we’re fairly certain we can sell the Grand Am for the same amount we bought the bug for, so its almost perfectly a win-win. Oh, and the bug was checked out by a very reputable German auto mechanic in Mt. Angel and pronounced in good condition. Also one of our good friends is a VW fiend who has agreed to help us fix it (or soup it up…he’s already formulating ideas) if we have any problems.

Overall, we’ve been told by several sources that its a good little car to have and that its easy to fix when something goes wrong. All it needs right now is a hubcap, some cupholder pieces, and a little cleanup (vacuuming, armorAll, etc.).

Finally, finally! We went to the beach. We’re only a month late. It was a humid, stifling day here in Salem (98 degrees) and much, much cooler and beautiful at the ocean (68 degrees). Not a cloud in the sky anywhere and lots of people (and dogs - George even got to meet one).

It was a first in two regards: George & the wheelchair’s first trip to the beach and also the Prius’ first trip to the beach. Both loved it and EVERYONE stared at the star of the day in his wheels. I overheard many “oh isn’t that so cool”s and “look at that dog”s. Pictures of our ridiculously adorable, elated dog and the day are on flickr.

Check out my flickr stream…my new Prius pictures are online now.  I now have license plates and registration and a title, so its really mine now. Like really. But so are the payments. *sigh* Nothing’s ever free. Oh well, I average about 43 mpg so I can’t complain too much. Also, we tinted the windows so it is a bit harder to see in now…it is supposed to reduce the sun damage to the interior and also reduce the heat as they are supposed to reflect light instead of absorb it. All in all, I really really really like it. Like a lot.

So I’ve been very very busy lately, which is why my posts have been infrequent and brief. Apologies. I’m in the thick of two websites that challenge my PHP knowledge and skills. The weather’s been nice so I’ve been outside weeding and washing my new car. I’ve got chiropractor and massage appointments, softball games 2x/week, etc. and so forth. Just so busy. Not a moment to spare.

Hopefully soon I’ll be back to regular posts. Until then, cheers!

Yay! I got another raise at work (finally my assessment, which was up in November) came through (on May 2nd).  It was a glowing assessment - my supervisor had nothing but good things to say about me. AND, I got a raise. A big one for our small company.

Wheeee!