Currently listening to

Mika Nakashima, "True" (among other things). Although she may look like a high school sophomore on this CD cover, she doesn't sound like one. Overall, a pretty good album.

I'm realizing how dependent I am on music. I'm always listening to it in the car, at the gym, and at work. It's cool how music can always turn a mundane Monday morning into something a bit less mundane, a routine drive to the store into a private karoake session, and two grueling hours at the gym into your own personal rendition of that Rocky IV scene (Eye of the Tiger, baby). Gotta love music.

And as requested, pictures of Adriana:








Monday is done. Let's be happy.

Taking time to

appreciate the finer (often more simple) things in life is always good.


I took this picture on a mild Monday morning walking out of my apartment. The leaf, the delicate drops of water; everything about it is simple. Yet, it has the ability to make you feel a certain way just by looking at it. Proof that you can find beautiful things in the most simple places; you just have to know where to look.

Goodbye old friend...

We've had many a good memory together, but now it's time to say goodbye. You truly made the journey the reward.

I purchased

a car today. It feels weird saying it. This is my first automobile purchase (since I was both blessed and lucky enough to have parents who provided me with cars throughout high school and college). At the end of it all, I have to say that it was a tiresome experience. I did all my research, brought all of the numbers to the table and negotiated for hours. I was at the dealer for most of the day and left the dealership to "think about it" just once. Ultimately, I was able to decrease the sticker price by $2,500 and the final price was relatively reasonable. So now what? I pick her up tomorrow (Tuesday at the latest). She's a 5 speed manual, rear wheel drive coupe in black. Any suggestions on a name? I'm thinking Adrianna..?

After all is said and done,

the most logical choice with regard to Giselle was to sell her as is. I spent hours crunching numbers and crafting hypothetical situations and that was the best conclusion I could come to. With that said, I can honestly say that Craigslist is key; I posted my ad there at the beginning of the week and by Wednesday, I already had several legitimate offers. The final selling price was $5,500 (which was more than I had initially expected), but the fact of the matter is, I'm incurring a huge loss since the true market value of the car pre-accident was about $13,000. Oh well. She sold to a nice guy who owns his own body/repair shop and he plans on fixing her up and using her as a daily driver.

So the main questions now are:
- What kind of car could replace Giselle?
- Who should I entrust my auto insurance with?

The latter question was answered yesterday. Yes, "I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico." But it's true. Their customer service is great and their rates are reasonable. In hopes of answering the former question, Jeff and I went on a mission yesterday: we hit up every (X) dealership in the Bay area (the 'X' is to keep you guessing). That's 7 dealers, utilizing nearly every interstate possible (237, 85, 101, 80, 580, 680, 880, 980). Our route: drove up the peninsula, crossed the Bay bridge, and came back down the Easy bay. Many thanks to Jeff for his help. I saw and test drove a few prospects, but alas, still no final decision.

On a final note, many thanks to M'liss and Regina for letting me use their cars while they were out of town. What I was to do with two cars, I don't know, but they certainly made life easier. Wilheim (Mel's C230) was a good companion over the weekend and Regina's Golf helped me hone my manual shifting skills (for my new car?).


Wilheim and Golf .

Another work week approaches. I blink and the weekend is over. What the heck?

Giselle got hurt

badly today. I was driving up to the city to see some friends and it was raining pretty hard. As I was getting on the I-880 -> I-980 interchange, my rear wheels hydroplaned and my car did a 360 on the highway and then crashed into the cement wall near the breakdown lane. So much for quattro I guess... the problem was most likely the lack of traction on my rear tires. I was going to get them all replaced, but I guess procrastination came back to bite me in the ass. The car was barely drivable, but I tried getting it across the Bay bridge, since I had no other way to go. Bad idea. My hood kept opening as I was driving and since there are no breakdown lanes on the bridge, I had to literally stop my car in traffic, avoid getting hit, and shut my hood and keep going. Young and Susan were nice enough to get some string and rush to my rescue so that I could tie my hood down. Thanks guys.




It hurts.

I'm taking tomorrow off of work, because I'm still feeling a bit rattled. I'm also planning on getting an estimate and am praying that it won't be too bad (since I'll be paying for it all out of pocket). If it turns out to be ridiculous, I may have to resort to getting a new car. :(

Wish me luck.