a few new things

There are a couple new things going on.

1. I finally finished working on the master bathroom here at the house. Now I have my own shower. I used a whole lot of caulk on it, so its likely to still be standing when the rest of the house falls over. The drywall still needs a little work, but its in a place thats not seen much, and water doesnt touch it.

2. It can now be currently listed that i am a dog-sitter. I am house and dog sitting for a couple that is somehow related to Habitat. I feel like I have talked to this guy before about something else, but I cant remember. I am meeting them tonight after...

3. Muay thai has now become a staple part of my diet. Mondays always happen at the Y, but I am also trying to fit Thursdays in as well, at a place in Statesville. Its a great facility, except its 20 miles away and it costs a lot. I am negotiating, especially since I only will be going once a week.

4. The ballet starts this week, and I dont have a way to get free tickets yet. I told Haley I would take her, so I gotta think real hard and start making phone calls to publications.

5. My new email adress is will.dalen@gmail.com
write a small note, so i can make sure y'all get it into your adress books.

love you,

--Will

More Mold Please

So, I may have mentioned that I got to go under one of our houses a few weeks back and do some mold treatment. As a follow up to that incident, I placed a call to the people in charge of the crawlspace to find out what else should be done. They suggested that I:

1. buy one of those white painters suits (Tyvek)
2. buy a real GOOD respirator
3. get a wire brush
4. crawl under the house and brush it all down and then remove it from the crawl

Well, I had experience doing this, so it was going to be quite familiar to me, kind of like being back in the good 'ol NCCC again. I didnt want to relive the moment, but it was nice to have previous experience, knowing what it would be like.

Then, he called me back and told me that he would send his guys in to do the job instead. Even better.

Ever noticed how listening to the Counting Crows either validates your sadness and makes you feel better or it makes me feel better because you dont feel the same way they do? Either way, it seems sad music does the trick. Just like the lady I worked with at the speedway last week. She was always seeming so mad, that whenever I saw her I couldnt help but laugh and be glad I wasnt her. I told her this, and of course she smiled and together we laugh at her sullen mood. She gave me the finger to, through the mirror while smiling, as a joke. She wasnt my server though, so I didnt have to worry about her mood effecting my tips.

I drank a bunch of free champagne that night. It mixes quite well with tea, but not so well with carrying large trays of expensive glassware.

--DAlen

My last entry?

Well, I created this blog to keep my loved ones and friends up to date while I was travelling in NCCC. Now that my life has become somewhat more stabilized, I am thinking of maybe letting it go. Any public opinion? I know my mom and Carla are big fans, but does anyone else read this?

Tommorrow is the first night of race weekend. I managed to swing a gig as a buss-boy at the speedway club. Jerrod says I can make at least 300 dollars for tommorrow, friday, and saturday. After that money and with my next paycheck I am going to be REALLY close to debt-free on credit cards! the end is near. Then it will be time to create savings and maybe pay some of my students loans off.

Rain Storms here tonight. love y'all.

--DAlen

Beach Weekend!

Last weekend was spent soaking up the sun and sand in lovely Charleston, SC. Well, actually we did go to Charleston, but there wasnt really any sun. Saturday after work, we basically got in our car and drove south. It was lightly raining off and on all day saturday, so we were glad to get out of here. Unfortunately, the rain was off and on all the way down to SC, and all the way to the beach. Night one of swimming and fun at the beach was cancelled due to inclement weather. It wasnt all a bust though, as myself, Steve, and Tak were privelidged enough to spend the evening with the lovely Jenny and even lovelier Bria (two VISTAs from my PSO in the ATL). There was much laughter and mischief once the lights went out and we all reverted back to the 4th grade.

The next day was sure to be full of blue sky and sunshine. Of course, that meant that it wasnt. The 3 of us left Bria to get rest and get better (she was a little sick with the Bubonic Plague) and went to eat breakfast with Blue 6. Uncle Leroi got to meet the entire team, and then they promptly left to do an ISP. So, we stayed and finished off their leftovers and did some dishes. Then it was to Charleston city to wander the market and cobblestone streets. The afternoon brought with it a relaxing Scorcesi Film (The Departed). Not to ruin the movie for you, but everyone dies. Typical for him. Last nights dinner was held at the Cantina under the hotel on Isle of Palms. Post dinner plans were again going to be swimming, but a much worse storm came and showed crazy lightening.

The lightening actually proved to be much better to watch than another movie, so Bria and I sat on her porch and watched 8-10 branch lightening bolts dance across the sky. It was amazing. I have never seen so many branches in my life. Unfortunately the frequency wasnt enough to make picture taking possible.

Today was our last day in Charleston. Bria went into the record books as being officially my third model. I got one good picture with Kat (first model) and maybe 5 good ones with Brianne. Hopefully I got some good ones with Bria, but I dont have my hopes high. The lighting was bad today and my batteries ran out. Oh well. We did find a wonderfully shady glenn on base with super old live oaks.

Back to work tommorrow. I am only working 2 days this week, because I am working the other 5 at the NASCAR race, hopefully making a bunch of money. So, Tuesday and Wednesday are going to be superbusy.

love y'all,
--Leroi

Life is indeed SWEET!!!

Life is good. the more I experience, the more i realize that its dang cool. The difficulty is realizing that life is good. You see, there is no one thing that makes life good. Investigating it on a level of single aspects leaves it up to some temporal results. Today is a good day. Tommorrow may be bad. You have to look at the overall picture. When you compare and contrast, the good pretty much equal out the bad. But you see, then you go back and you eliminate the bad, forget that life sucks on stormy days. Look forward to when the sun shines.

One of my friends just got engaged. Congrats Jamie. If ever there was a cooler woman, i dont know her. I am pretty sure she is essentially the woman version of me. She once described me as a cross between her really close ex-boy and the guy that is now her fiance. Pretty sure we will always be friends, whether or not we are near...72 hours will do that to people.

My job is great. the work isnt awesome, or challenging, or up to my mental capacity as an engineer. The pay is crap. the people I work with are cool. I push papers around a lot. but, the motive and goal is incredible. Affordable housing. poverty issues. its where i am supposed to be for the next year...and i will do it best i can.

today, for the first time in my life, i worked on MY garden. I transplanted a morning glory from down the street. i hope it doesnt die. the soil here is harsh.

today is the first of october. today marks the beginning of my training. this will be my year of cardio and strength training. 1 month structured serious self abuse in the name of progress, then 1 month of overactive lifestyling. rinse. repeat.

happy autumn! --DAlen
PS seriously, who sent me the text message!?