I've been taking the bus to visit my friend Nicol. It's a short, simple trip and only costs me a dollar. I'm feeling so much better knowing that I've found at least one part of my life where I can cut down on our gasoline consumption.

Now if I can just figure out a way to eliminate using a car for work.

Hmmm...

I let go of some serious energy drainers this week.  In return I received a job and some creative energy.

I call this one:

Good Luck With That

Oooops...

I've been gone a little longer than I thought.   Still not feeling much inspiration.  I'm sure something will pop in my head soon.

We're in the process of trying to find a decent used car ~~ ours has passed on.  It's interesting how the price of gas has changed the math of determing what is a better buy.  We found a 1990 Honda Accord in great shape, Kelly Blue Book asking price and they're good on gas.  Yet, my mom's friend has a 1994 Voyager she's willing to let go of for a fraction of the cost (plus some small repairs).

After contemplating our options it is interesting to find that the Voyager might be the better buy (as long as the mechanic says it's in good shape) because of the price of gas.  Even though the Accord is more fuel efficient, in the end we'll be further ahead buying the Voyager and using the rest of our "car cash" for gasoline.

What???!!???

Which video is more likely to scare you straight? This one?

Or this one?

My vote goes to the second one ;~D

I simply haven't been inspired to write much lately.  School is overwhelming.  Summer classes are always a terrible idea ~~ What was I thinking?

I won't be returning to the Humanities Grad program in the fall.  I've had some time to really look things over and spending the next two years doing what I need to do to become a certified teacher will be better in the long run.  I'll have a means to make a decent income and finally have some benefits, including a solid retirement.  Humanities would have left me so deep in debt it made me sick, and I wouldn't have been able to provide for myself.

I started this blog, first, because I missed the creative outlet (I had a journal at Diary-X, but it disappeared)  and second, because I was still listening to my advisors at Lourdes, who advised me the best they could, but my original plan to get the Humanities degree and then enroll in a Special Ed Masters Program was thwarted by "No Child Left Behind".  We all decided that a 9to5er and freelance writing were the way to go since education seemed to be slipping out of my grasp (there aren't many jobs in the area and lay-offs are prevalent).

So, I found my 9-5er and went about setting up a web presence to lead people to my freelance writing work (which never happened - I tried, but I need to learn how to make an article snap - something's missing). Hence the blog.  I also found a fantastic Humanities Graduate program at Tiffin University ~ ~ I knew staying in school was the only way to stay sane while working a repetitive job.  Everything seemed to be in place.  On the surface I was employed and going to grad school, but inside I felt like life was slipping through my fingers ~~ something wasn't right, but I moved forward with my plans, hoping it would eventually feel more comfortable. 

The job only lasted a month, and began to crumble after my return from my 20th High School Reunion. I was not where I was supposed to be, I was not doing what I was put on this earth to do, but it helped me pay the bills, so I'm not complaining. 

I realized it was education or win the lottery, so I went back to my Instructional Assistant job with the intention of finishing the Humanities Graduate degree first, which perplexed the administration at the behavior school.  As the year went on, I realized they wanted me to teach there and I also found a couple of other programs to help me get certified, one of which would give me the opportunity to have some of my loans forgiven.  But more importantly, I discovered that my working environment and the program at Tiffin didn't fit either.  Like oil and water ~~ my brain can not work like that.  But, summer classes start early at Tiffin and I had to make a decision.  I wasn't as clear about things as I am now.  It was a very stressful time.  I chose summer classes because I had let winter classes go.

So, my head's been spinning for the past year and I've been doing my best to stay on course.  The hardest part lately is figuring out what that course should be.  I will never stop writing, I will never stop taking pictures and therefore, unless I say otherwise, I will be observing life in this Universe via The Chronicle of Being for some time to come.

I'm in desperate need of a road trip. 

In the meantime, I'm enjoying these shots from my last road trip...

...and a little Canned Heat

Hammered Valentine ~ May 9, 2008 ~ New Way Bar, Ferndale, MI.

OK. I've had many people ask me exactly what Ken is a part of now that he's our district's representative for the Toledo Republican Central Committee. Here's a great article from this week's Toledo City Paper about how this whole thing is a reverberation of the Tom Noe "Coingate" scandal.   Sorry, no, Ken's picture isn't in the article.  He's currently choosing to be the candidate who flies under the radar.