And now, it’s time for the timely updates on the lives of Kevin & Kim (& kids, where applicable…)
Toyota – When we first moved here to Oklahoma, we used some of the extra profit from our house in St. Louis to buy a new vehicle. It was a Toyota 4Runner (1998) that belonged to a friend of my father’s, and it’s worked great ever since. Very reliable and enjoyable. (Enjoyment comes from getting to look down on the cars around me, looming high and safe overhead…)
Anyhow, it recently hit 160,000 miles, so I took it into the shop to have it tuned up. (You know… The 150,000 mile tune-up marker?) So they tuned it all up… To the tune of $1,200+.
Yeah. Can you say “Ouch”?
I know that they did a lot of the good stuff that needed to be done – found and patched leaks, etc., but what killed me was the item on the bill where they replaced the bulb over my license plate. The part? $2.90. The labor? $48.00.
You may now cry with me. And LEARN with me, people! The next time your mechanic calls to suggest replacing something, if he utters the word “bulb” you give him a resounding “NO!”
Just. Say. No. (To bulb replacement.)
Still, I figured it would be better to get everything tuned up properly rather than “take a chance” with it all. But you just know I was praying on the way home not to get in an accident… man, THAT would’ve hurt…!
Moving on…
Kim and I are looking to move sometime at the beginning of the year. Her job is going to move us to one of the 17 largest offices. We get to rank ‘em, but they get to pick ‘em. We’re not really too freaked out about it all, though.
Having moved 8 times in the first 7 years of our marriage, new places and faces are just a fact of life to us. Plus, we LIKE getting to meet new people! They’re fun, and reassure ourselves of our normalcy(sp?) in comparison.
In preparation for the move, we’ve cleaned up the front yard, put “boxwoods” in our front flower bed, laid down nice cypress mulch and the works. I’d say it looks better than we bought it, but that’d just be a big fat lie. It looks good, but it doesn’t look like we’re obsessed with the yard, living and breathing just to eliminate every weed in a 50 yard radius.
Oh no. It doesn’t look like that at all. 
But it looks good, and that’s what counts.
We’re gonna repaint the bedroom and bathroom, but I think we’re skipping the granite countertops in the kitchen. Houses aren’t selling all that fast in our neighborhood, and we’re not realy convinced we’d make our money back. Aside from that, we’ll be ready to go. (And don’t forget to whip out the vanilla-scented plug-ins, people. They say it helps sell the house, make it feel more homey and warm-like. 
Fall TV Shows
Heroes – Unfortunately, this show continues to disappoint me. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with it. It’s like the promise of delivering quality, “that’s really cool” moments is hit or miss. I find the new storylines completely muddied up and bogged down.
Hiro’s in feudal Japan? Peter’s an amnesiac in Scotland? Two Latino Wonder Twins swap black goo between each other? And Matt survived 5 bullets to the chest… HOW, exactly? Yeah. I’m afraid I just don’t care anymore. I’ll keep watching for the occasional wicked cool event, but I’m making a formal complaint to NBC right now: I’m not impressed anymore.
Bionic Woman – I loved the concept, but even when the previews were showing last Spring, I was afraid this wasn’t going to live up to expectations. And I was right.
I understand what the creators were trying to do, though. Fill in the gap of female-led butt-kicking shows while capitalizing on the success of sci-fi hits like Heroes. It’s a decent formula, and they’ve updated it to the modern work fairly well, too.
But it’s not right. The dialogue, for one, is… Overused. It’s like they’re trying too hard, and you can smell the desperation even as the words leave their lips. While there are enough moments of coolness where Jamie Sommers uses her new abilities to entertaining effect, for the most part? I’m just not hooked.
I’ll watch a few more episodes, then I’m gonna stop wasting my time in the hopes for improvement.
Chuck – haven’t watched it, but the premise sounds good and it’s got Adam Baldwin, from Firefly fame. Granted, he’s got a dorky haircut, but still…
Smallville, on the other hand, has taken a definite turn for the better. With the introduction of BOTH a Bizarro Clark AND Supergirl – all in the season’s opening episode – my fanboy jollies were readily jumping. Since I’ve been a collector of Supergirl comics off and on the past decade, I was excited to see them draw the character straight from the latest, impetulant teenager in the current issue run. Good, good stuff.
The Office – What can I say? This show continues to be the best thing about television today. It has taken the lead created by the original UK version and extended it to full form. Hilarious stuff, and if you’re missing it, you’re worse off because of it. (I know, it’s harsh, but it’s true. You suck for not watching this show….)
Other winners that I record with my EyeTV on the iMac are COPS, Whacked Out Sports, Maximum Exposure and Reno911!. And the best thing about EyeTV? Editing out the commercials and slapping the platform-friendly MPEG-4 file onto my Sony Clie, where I can watch it whereever and whenever I want to. (Much thanks to my friend, Jeff, for introducing me to to the Palm program TCPMP.)
Books I’m Reading:
Jumper – Steven Gould – Great coming of age story about a 17-year old kid who discovers he can teleport, or “jump.” The movie comes out in February 2008, so I wanted to get a head start on this, experience it as a book first. It’s kinda like a sci-fi twist on “Catcher In the Rye,” so if you’re a Holden Caufield fan, you might like this book. Starting “Reflex,” sequel, in a few days.
Last On Earth – Marilyn Kaye – I like to read my books in “themes,” as I’ve mentioned before. The current theme I’m on is Anarchy, I guess. Basically, a total breakdown of civilization, like the show “Jericho” or something. (Never watched it, but heard it was worthy.) This book, part 1 of a trilogy, was fun. 25 teenagers come out of class to discover everyone else on the face of the earth has vanished. Good stuff… (Part 3 was a little over-the-top and full of new age, tree-hugging goodness, but the characters and situations were still fun to experience. And since it’s classified as a Young Adult novel, there’s not as much wordy dirds in it.
Parenting the Way God Parents: Refusing to Recycle Your Parents’ Mistakes – Katherine Koonce
The Prayer That Changes Everything: The Hidden Power of Praising God – Stormie Omartian – Great book on maintaining an attitude of thankfulness, and redefines what it means to praise and worship. (You mean I don’t have to check my brain out and raise my hands and sing sappy songs? Ya don’t say…)
When I Relax I Feel Guilty – Tim Hansel – It’s so true. I have a really hard time just relaxing without the nagging voices telling me what I SHOULD be doing. Selling on eBay, posting stuff on Freecycle, reading, praying, writing… it never ends. It was written in 1979 but the title says it all, and I need help. God is continually speaking to me this year about dialing my life down a few notches, taking the time to actually LIVE. I just pray He changes my heart and habits in a permanent way.
I have more to write, but I’m ready to take a break for a bit. Relax, if you will. Probably watch COPS.
Kevin