It has been a year and my car is getting old. While it has lost the new car smell, it is still an enjoyable ride. I figure that I have gotten 80% enjoyment from it. So far, I have resisted the urge to modify the truck to increase the horsepower. But, if I were ever to do that, then I would get a 20% increase in my total enjoyment-factor. That would bump it up to 96%. Where would I find the other four percent? “Drag racing,” I’ll tell you. Running an 11 second quarter mile would certinally be satisfying.

I got a new toy today! Read a review here. Too bad it costs as much as a laptop. This will be my birthday and Christmas present for this year.

Here is some free advice: Memorize the screens of your ATM while you withdraw money. That way, when you accidently select Spanish as your language, you can still get money without starting over.

FEES ASSESSED
WINDSHIELD STICKER           $ 49.64
REG FEE-DPS                  $  1.00
REFLECTORIZATION FEE         $  0.30
CNTY ROAD BRIDGE ADD-ON FEE  $ 10.00
CHILD SAFETY FUND            $  1.50
AUTOMATION FEE (LARGE CNTY)  $  1.00
TOTAL                        $ 63.44

Ok, what is the deal with all of these items? Why itemize at all? Its not like you can pick and choose. But, since they have itemized it a little bit (I am sure that windshield sticker is a general fund), I am curious about some of the items. WTF is reflectorization? That is not even a word! I do not want to be reflected. What is the deal with the county roads needing bridges? I say let Darwinism rule for child saftey. Why do I have to pay for automation when my experience was not that automated? Sure, my notice was mailed out but I had to pay by person. If I had wanted to pay by mail, it would be another dollar. And, if I had wanted to pay online, it would be another three dollars! What a rip-off!

I went to get cash at the ATM tonight and discovered this welcoming screen. It looks like it runs Windows. I remember the good ole days when ATMs used to run OS/2.

Sigh!

I went to Armadillocon today to get my books signed by Sharon Shinn. This was my first book signing, so I was a little unsure of the process. Mrs. Shinn was very nice and she did not mind singing six books for me. Later in the day, I went to a reading by her of a short story. It was very cool, and I enjoyed going.

Barbara Hambly and Elisabeth Moon where there as well. Too bad I did not plan better and bring my books of theirs for them to sign. Oh well… next year!

I woke up this morning and was greeted by a lizzard. I am used to spiders roaming around inside my house and I don’t mind their presence. They are on the top of the insect food chain. If they are alive then other insects are dead.

But, this is the first time that I have seen a lizzard insiide. Is there some gaping hole in my house that I am not aware of? Scenes of Free Willy are now running through my head. I am going to have to institute a trap and release program.

Went to Freebirds for lunch today. It was ok. Can someone please tell me the difference between Freebirds, Moe’s and Chipotle? They all offer burritos. And yet people swear by one or the other as “the best.”

Pete and Marie go to this restaurant all of the time. I would recommend it as well. For it has killer top shelf margaritas floating in GranGala. One is more than enough for good times…

Good thing I make Pete drive me home. 🙂

A weird thing happened today. As I was driving and leaving my housing division, a bird hit my car. There were two birds and they flew from the trees on the right hand of the road to the middle of the road. Perhaps they spotted a worm. I approached them and I figured that they would fly off. Unfortunately, they chose to retrace their flight which my truck happened to drive into. Sigh. I had a feeling they would flee in that direction. I should have drove on the other side of the road.

This is a first for me. So far, I have run over a squirrel and a couple of cats. I feel bad about killing them and wish I would have seen them in time to avoid hitting them. But it is a hard fact of destroying the environment, err, driving a car. I have also had a near miss from some deers (which will definitely do some damage). Of course, I don’t count the millions of insects that I have killed.

But that is not what is weird. Two hours later, I was again leaving my housing division on the same road and another bird hit my car! Coincidence? Or have I pissed of the bird god? I actually like birds, they eat insects and without them the insects would rule the earth. I should buy a bird bath and a bird feeder to make up for this…

This time I did not see the bird at all except for a brief glimpse from my peripheral vision and a loud thud from outside (my windows were rolled down). This time I stopped and looked for the bird but did not see anything. While I was checking my truck for damage a cop stopped and asked me if there was anything wrong. I responded that I was struck by a bird!

Should I start taking another exit from the complex?