My experience switching from iPhone to Android Pt 2 - The Plug In

So my switch the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 did not come without some pretty serious research. Checking out as much as I could about the Sugary Food Named operating system and watching a lot of videos about the S Pen to see if it was as good as Samsung says it is and I felt fairly prepared for moving over - but you can never fully prepare.

First thing I've not experienced in a long time, a swappable battery. The whole back of the Note comes off and theres expandable memory, access to the Sim Card, and the Battery which is cool. Thus far I've been glad for the second battery and charger though since I've run the phone out by about 6:00 p.m. both days I've had it so far. I'm probably playing with it to much. But theres also these apps for saving batter that I'm apparently supposed to get... which is weird for someone whose been in the Apple world because it's just supposed to work! Which is a bit of the theme of my first days with an Android.

I plugged it into my computer, nothing happened. A little googling and I determined that I needed Samsung Kies so I downloaded that... and it pulled all the media off of my computer and organized it... sort of and copied it over to the Note... o.k. that's not so bad. Except my audiobooks aren't considered audiobooks, and some of my album art is there and some isn't... This is going to take some organization methinks. What surprised me is that there is no direct 'this is the iTunes of Android' that I've been able to find.

But it's o.k. I found my media and I click on it to play... except it comes up with a choice of what I want to play it on... which is a bit of a theme I'm discovering. With an Apple product you have the music player, the video player, the ibook reader, the texting app and so on. There aren't many apps out there that you would want or need to replace those things and if you have iTunes set up it just works. With this I keep running into situations where there is the Samsung version of a music player and theres the Google version of the player. This happens all over the place, I've got multiple photo apps, multiple calendar apps, Gmails picking up my mail and so is the "Mail" program and if I click on any link I have to choose between Chrome and or "Internet" browser. Talk about overload, and it's illustrating to me why Apple is popular, and why old people like it. It's so straightforward and it makes you feel so organized. I am sure that overtime I will determine which apps I like, and which I don't.

That runs into the customization piece, and yes, like all my Android wielding friends preached "I can do anything" which isn't a Hedley song in this case but the theme of this phone. I can put apps wherever I want, or keep them in the big list, theres widgets which are very cool, and I can even leave blanks where I want them. This is pretty cool, you can have your social media page, your Evernote page, your work stuff place and widgets to fit. I did discover that you have to be much more aware of system resources on an Android because it multitasks and won't stop you from loading a Bjillion apps. So quickly my sleek new device was running like a 50's Stolly. With freedom comes responsibility and so you've got to have some know-how to keep it running perfect. Again learning curve is steep but it's a Google device... and I'll be going there quite often to ask how to work it.

Having a Mixed Household - Everything in my house is an Apple Product... except my Droid. So it meant switching over my calendars and task lists from iCloud to Google... and then making sure that was on my Wifes' iPhone as well so we could still communicate. iMessage, I've run into an issue that's apparently not uncommon, everyone who has an iPhone whose been trying to text me has been getting error messages. Somehow the system doesn't automatically realize that my number is no longer associated with iMessage, so I've had to go back to my other phone and make sure all of that was disabled and coach a few people through changing my contact to Mobile and make sure there phone is enabled to send MMS. I'm not sure which of these steps has fixed the issue but it seems to be fine now. But at the end of the day the Apple devices have had to adjust to the Droid and rely on Google to sharing.

Finally Updating - I'm not there yet, the new Note 3 just came out and from what I can gather I'll be able to get the new OS on my Phone as well. But man they start talking about Rom's and upgrading the Samsung part of the device and the droid part of the device and it goes over my head. There is something to be said about Apple's philosophy of developing hardware and software in tandem.

How am I feeling? Still very good. Loving the big screen, enjoying S Pen and all the fancy features, and getting the hang of everything.

My experience switching from iPhone to Android Pt 1 - The Rationale

Well starting this post off I feel like I've got to get something straight. Before the Android faithful rejoice at another convert I'm not leaving because I hate apple, I quite loved my iPhone. But after 3 and a bit years with my iPhone 4 and this latest upgrade to the new iOS7 the machine was running a little bit slow, and found that finishing my text and then having to wait a few seconds for the phone to catch up was bothersome. In addition I use my phone for business, and so can't have delays or questions about whether or not my apps are going to be shutting down in the middle of a meeting.

How was the experience with the iPhone? It was great. I was the benefactor of one free replacement about 6 months after I'd gotten my machine due to some water damage. Note: Don't put your iPhone in your shirt pocket, drop something behind the toilet, and lean over it to get it. Sight. But in terms of the experience I've got a Mac, and an iPad. My wife has an iPhone as well. So our life was this happy little integrated world where everything copied everywhere with very few issues. Which brings me to the first comparison with the Samsung. But first... why the switch?

As I said it was time for us to get new phones, we were off of our contract with Bell, and wanted to stay off contract due to some new core values that we've been developing. I called them up and asked them what we could do in terms of getting new phones without resigning a contract. Their answer? "Nothing, there is no way that we are going to discount a phone if you don't resign with us."
"Perfect," I said "that makes it easier to switch to Koodo" at which point I was quickly switched off to retention. After about 40 minutes of saying "I'm sorry, I won't go on contract, and I need an unlimited plan for my wife and I with at least 2 gb of data for $105 or less" I was given a plan for $100, 2 phones, unlimited everything, 2 gb of shared data, and NO contract. Which is nice, but could definitely spawn a rant about Cell Plans.

So we have this incredible new phone and we get to stay with the provider that is my namesake, but we still have almost 4 year old phones and are in need of something new. TO THE APPLE STORE. 2 New iPhone 5S 32GB units + applecare and a case $1926.00. Now at this point we strongly had to determine whether the 5S was worth that sort of investment. To which I said no and my wife said maybe. I've got friends with the S, and the slow motion Vid is awesome, and the dual flash is cool, and it's definitely blazing fast. But I will agree with the detractors theres nothing new enough about the interface or the device that would make it feel like getting a new toy. I like new Toy's, but this would feel like a near 2000 dollar investment for a phone that is better in every way than my iPhone but not in ways I'd notice on a daily basis. Therefore it came down to $'s and Features and finding something that would give that new toy experience!

It's now Kijiji Time, and a search for a previously enjoyed iPhone for my wife, and a something for me.  The iPhone was Easy. Found a White 5C 2 weeks old with full applecare, a case, and some accessories $650. Done. She doesn't care about dual flashes and slow mo video or a biometric scan so the 5c is perfect. For me... lets find something about as different from the iPhone as we can that's cool. Enter the Galaxy Note 2 . I feel like Steve Jobs would hate the idea of the Note 2. It has a stylus. It's to big to use all functions with one hand. It requires special pants... actually not really. It has fit very well into my trousers and jackets thus far. But enter the next best part, a Samsung is like a Domestic car - it's full of depreciation. So I was able to pick up a 2 month old Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with 2 cases, an extra battery and charger, all the original gear with a screen protector for $400. So in all $1050 vs. the $2000 for the flagship model. It feels like surfing the other side of the tech wave, but feels nice to know that we've got a lot of cushion there, and because this Note 2 is already half price (partly because the Note 3 just came out) I'm sure I could resell it and get my dough out of it if I decide this whole Android thing is not for me.

So that is how I came to possess this device that is very different than the tech that I've been rolling with  for the past 4+ years. The Note appealed to me from the first time I saw it. I loved the size of it, why not enjoy a big screen, people carry iPads with them everywhere this thing fits in a pocket! I love the S pen concept because I truly enjoy writing! I do a lot of proofing at work as well, and the ability to do that mobile is very appealing. Plus every Android owner I've known has assured me that it is SO much better than an Apple. Which let's be honest, if your comparing your going to compare to the best because that's where the bar is. I do believe the joke is fairly true that how do you know if someone has an Android phone? Don't worry they'll tell you! I promise not to be that guy, because in the first 48 hours of having this phone I've come to realize theres not a 'best' phone. It's really about finding the thing that works best for you, and that is the journey that I'll be on over the next little while so I'll let you know how it goes! Just for a size reference check below!

My iPhone 4 vs. my new Note 2

Awesome

Now usually if it’s something care related then it’s me showing it to my brothers, but this morning my Brother the northern pastor sent me a link that made my day. Literally changed my mood completely!

Final Day of the Cleanse:
It’s been a really hard go this time around with the cleanse, so I’m going to review some highlights here, my feelings on day 15, and my accomplishments.

Highlights:
I started the cleanse sick this time. I had a pretty nasty sore throat and really bad congestion. The cayenne pepper really burned going down because of how raw my throat was and it made it really hard to stick to the cleanse in the first few days. I was also quite tired, but I figured that was the cold more than the cleanse. Was better about 4 or 5 days into the cleanse.

Work was quite rude to me while I was on the cleanse. We normally have donuts brought in once every 3 or 4 weeks at work as a thank you from a customer or if someone’s feeling generous. Since I started the cleanse we have had: Donuts brought it 4 times, a Frito-Lay worker drop off a huge box of chips that we could take home, Parts has offered me slurpee’s multiple times, free lunch provided on two Saturdays, and Pamela baked ‘oven s’mores’ which looked delicious. It’s been hard on Morale.

In a positive light I am feeling quite a bit healthier, the jeans are looser, and according to the scale I’m down 21 pounds! It’s a great feeling to be a little closer to ones goal, and now hopefully between swimming, and the amount of Veggies that Pamela and I have started to ad into our diet I can use this as a kickstart towards my goal weight.

Anyway signing off to go squeeze some lemons for my last 6 glasses of the Lemonade!
Drew~

To buy or not to buy, and what to buy.

So, here I am typing on my Mac desktop with this awesome new software that I received from Macheist. Particularily this MacJournal I’m quite excited about as it will allow me to track my thoughts, and easily blog them when I so desire. ANYWAY this post is about what to purchase.

You see, I’ve been a pretty hardcore Mac fan for a little while now, and I’ve had no end of Joy from my 24Inch Core2Duo Mac. But now I’m married, and so I don’t get sole use of the Mac, and sometimes my lover and I are in a bit of contention about who gets to use it. So we are considering adding a new computer to the house, but what to do! Mac or not?

Well, my thoughts are that it doesn’t make sense for us to have two Mac’s because with our price range of 1500 dollars we’d probably default to doing everything media oriented on the iMac anyway because of it’s screen and more powerful processor. So that means that a macbook would just be a glorified typewriter for us. So I’ve been looking at what a person can get for 1500 dollars in the Windows world. This is what I’ve found, and what were going to be looking at getting in the near future.


The ASUS G51Jx-X1
The Big PRO’S to this computer are an i7 quad core processer, the Nvidia GTS360M Graphics, and the 1920x1080 screen resolution. What does all this mean in laymen terms? It means that it’s got enough grunt to play any video game on the market, enough processor to multi task up the wazoo, and a good enough screen to watch high definition shows on the go. Add to that some neat features like a backlit keyboard, and multi-touch trackpad and I’m having a hard time looking towards the Mac-tops and the 13inch macbook pro that you can get for the same price and... well theres really no comparison.

But what of the Mac. Will I miss ‘mail’ to much, or this new macJournal program? Being able to squeeze my mouse to navigate between windows, or time machine for easy backups. Perhaps most of all I’ll actually have to worry about virus’ and when I get an iphone it just won’t sync quite the same.

Anyway that’s what’s been going through my head in terms of where to spend some $’s these days. Plus this little entry is a great chance to test out macJOURNAL.
Drew~

The end of the Cleanse.

So, I have one day left of the Cleanse, and i have to say that I am absolutely looking forward to it. I’m totally sick of it! The last few times that I’ve done the cleanse, the end has always been exciting, but I was more excited about all the weight I had lost and how much better I was feeling. This time around it seems to me that I’m more concerned about FOOD again. But probably a good part of that was because I was living with someone who was eating regular food, and had to work whereas before we always timed this with vacations. Long story short, I’m a little concerned that I’m going to have a hard time resisting bingeing on all the foods that I was not able to have these last two weeks.

Anyway 7 more drinks to go, and then a day of orange juice, then veggies, and then... steak on Sunday!
Drew~

Best Contest Ever!

http://cliffyourride.autotrader.ca/

Literally win by having the crappiest ride. They'll drive it off a cliff for you, and give you a 30,000 dollar gift certificate to use on the website.

Perhaps the MR2 or the Bronco can win...

Green Screens EVERYWHERE

It'll have to be quick because I should be leaving for work soon. The weather has warmed up after our record setting 2 ft. in one weekend followed by -52 degrees with windchill down here in Alberta. The MR2 has done quite well, I needed a boost on Monday but it's been fine every other day.

Work is pretty crazy, we're doing the MASSIVE YEAR END CLEARANCE FOR THE LAST TIME BETTER GET THERE QUICK BECAUSE THESE DEALS WONT LAST LONG INDOORS AT THE EXHIBITION GROUNDS sale. Or something along those lines. Detail is madly trying to get everything spic and span for the insides, and prepping newly arrived vehicles to get down there as quick as possible.

Aside from that everything is looking up! Might look at buying a house again before I go back to school... anyone wanna invest?

And finally just like our joys and hopes in this advent season so to does the:

Muffler

So as much fun as it was the first time I got into my car after the muffler had fallen off, revved it up, scared away all birds in a 3 mile radius, and proceeded to rip off down the street... It became old after about five minutes. Soon I notice the shaking of my rear view mirror more than the sound outside, and that cruising at 100km/h feels similar to that horrible seat in an airplane right near the engines. So heres some pics of New vs. Old and a fresh install.

Total cost was about 200 dollars, and it was worth it the vehicle is much quieter now. Something interesting to note is that because of the age of the vehicle when I order a muffler for it, even though on the screen the picture is exactly the same as what I have, what arrives is not. You can see the differences in the pictures between the old and the new. This is because of what they call 'SUPERSESSION' which means that the original manufacturer no longer makes the part and someone else does now. So the 85 MR2 Muffler has gone through 3 or 4 supersessions and it works like the game telephone. The more supersessions it goes through the less like the original it was. Just because you order a genuine Toyota part, the older the vehicle the more likely you'll have to do some fabrication and adjustment. All I had to do on this particular modification was to flip one of the brackets on the car mount.

Energy

Tonight I got a Thai Foot massage as part of my drive to use up all of my benefits before the end of the year. It was really good, not just for the foot massage, but also for the opportunity to discuss energy, aura, prayer, and the idea of visualization.

So my goal for the next little while is to 'VISUALIZE THE WIN' But moreso to experiment with the idea that if one constantly visualizes debt, frustration, unhealthiness, then that is what the universe will give. Hmmm, talking about what the 'universe will give' makes me feel very new agey. But I don't think it's as strange as it sounds. What if I take visualization and call that prayer, and energy and call that the grace of God? Is that sacrilege... I'll have to ask Brother Pastor.

Anyway as I was saying before I got distracted I'm going to start consciously trying to visualize good things and positive things in my life. Whether it be a little bit of financial freedom, loss of weight, my car running well. It's given me a rededication to visualize (pray, imagine, direct the forces of the universe if you will) these positive things. Along with this will be the idea of not allowing myself to focus on the bad things. Dwelling on the negative things is, so goes the theory, just as powerful as visualizing the good things. I'll let you know how it goes. ;)

P.s. MR2 Muffler arrived, it looks very different than my current one. I'll let you know if it ends up fitting at all...

Funny Pic and a few other things.

So today I purchased a new muffler for the MR2. It's been two weeks of driving without one and I'm getting sick of sounding like one of those honda knuckleheads with their big 3 inch cans making the sound of a sick lawmower. So soon once again I'll be able to drive through nice neighbourhoods not feeling trashy.

Also on the car front theirs a few other little fixes that I'll be having to do in order to try and get it running in tip top shape for the winter. I've been doing reading and apparently they make amazing winter cars b/c of the engine weight sitting directly overtop of the drive wheels. But given that it is still rear wheel drive is a lot more enjoyable to drive than the average car.

AUTOBOTS TRANSFORM

O.k. so prolly not so much on the transforming but:

Cover Story...

Friends are indeed good and important. Friends are an aspect of community. In Pamela and My community we have few friends, but they are good friends. People that can be counted on.

As I have been thinking through my discontent as of late I have been concentrating much on this idea of community. As a couple Pamela and I have two places where we have some community established, here in Lethbridge, and in Calgary. As our thoughts, well mine at least, move towards desiring to be in post-secondary education again the idea of community throws a little wrench into deciding where and how.

Lethbridge offers good jobs, a little establishment, less expensive schooling, and our current community. Calgary has the potential for bigger community, the inclusion of Family in our immediate group, and a different type of lifestyle. Honestly I believe that we would move to Calgary if it were not for the potential added costs of living there. It's hard to feel limited by funds, but it's a feeling that Pamela and I deal with on a constant basis. I imagine everyone does on some level or another.

As far as education goes right now Pamela is working on her BA in History with a minor in Spanish. Don't tell anyone but we have no idea what that'll actually get her. When people ask our 'cover story' is that she is hoping to go into work with non-profit organizations like Samaritans Purse working in Latin America. Which means that whatever I choose had better well be something that can be done in Latin America. This is why lately I have been thinking of a degree in technology. Lethbridge offers a New Media degree which basically leads towards a career in advertising, marketing, or combined with other skills anything from editing movies to doing layouts for magazines. This degree would fit the cover story nicely.

I've talked about 'cover stories' a few times and feel I should explain. Pamela and I are at the age where we are supposed to be 'doing something' with our lives. This is where much of my own angst comes from because although I enjoy being a part of the automotive industry, I've now been washing cars, and managing the washing of cars for over a year now. When people ask 'what I'm doing with my life' it involves soap suds and waxes and leaves something to be desired. Which is where the cover story comes in. I think our lives are very much summed up in how we answer 'what have you been up to' or 'what are you doing with yourself'. If we have no excitement answering this question it's wrong. I look at some family members and their answers are 'I'm a freelance journalist' or 'I'm a pastor of a church'. Others are 'I work for a bible school and live on an Island' or 'I run a home business and raise my three kids'. These all seem so very acceptable and wonderful to me, and yet 'ME MAKE CARS SHINY' does not. So MY cover story is 'I'm working right now to support my wife going through University and we are checking over the finances to determine whether or not we can support me as well. She's studying history and spanish to do international work and I'm going to go into media so I can have a mobile base of operations and we can travel together' *whew* I guess all I'm saying is that if the 'cover story' is much different then the reality, then we must not be content. I am not content, but hopefully soon my life will be a little closer to my cover story and the 'content' will follow.

Well, I should go and get to work on time. Toyota's don't clean themselves!

dREW~

Merry Thursday everyone.

P.s. the muffler fell off my care the other day.

Major Thoughts from the last weeks...

1. Microsoft Frustrated Me!

I own an xbox 360 and I use a third party memory card to carry my profile with me. This way when I go to a friends house and we play a game together the advances and time I spend there can come home in my pocket with me and be used on my own xbox. I chose a DATEL memory card because I got 2GB of space for less than the cost of Microsofts 512mb card. The latest update for my xbox came down from the intertubes the other day and guess what. I can no longer access my memory card. This update's only purpose? Block third party memory cards. A LITTLE WARNING WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE. Conclusion that seems prevalent on the net - Microsoft is basically using the update to force you to buy their stuff.

p.s. I was able to recover my gamer profile but did lose some data, FRUSTRATING!

2. Soon I'll have Snow Leopard!

My wife Pamela and I purchased The Mac Box Set recently from the apple website so we can finally upgrade to the new Mac OS. We are still running Tiger, which is good but I'm definitely starting to see it's limitations. The Box set will upgrade our iLife, and iWork as well as the OS. Unbeknownst to me it turns out that the regular snow leopard disk would work as well. Apple decided to imply that you could not do that on their website. To me it does not matter because I did want authentic copies of ilife and iwork, but it would be nice to be given options.

1+2 = REALLY frustrating that the major manufacturers of personal computers are both getting very good at SCREWING people out of their money through these sneaky sneaky ways!

3. Happiness...

Pamela and I have been discussing much lately whether or not we are truly happy in Lethbridge. She is in school as a history major and is liking University and working part time as an employee of the city of Lethbridge. I'm working full time as the Foreman/Manager of Lethbridge Toyota's detail department. What does this mean? I organize, do inventory for, and participate in the cleaning of cars. It's o.k. there's some high points (I've cleaned a Porsche and an Audi TT recently) but overall I'm feeling this incredible sense of having topped out the position and not really having much other options in the job. I also had my 1 yr. anniversary there on Nov. fourth. Despite all I have learned, and the MR2 I now drive because of working there I couldn't help but feel like I had wasted 1 year of my life on cleaning cars a little bit. SO we are looking at the future a little more intensely - I'm thinking of going back to school and am waffling between going towards a trade of some kind (electrician perhaps?) and University to go for a degree in Multimedia Design or something similar. Essentially we hope to make some changes before the end of the coming summer.

4. Location Location Location:

We currently live in Lethbridge. My parents used to live an hour away and we saw them often, they have now moved to Sylvan Lake which is approx. 4 hours away. We have some good solid friends here but cannot feel like our community is lacking a little bit. Lately when we visit Calgary where Pamela's parents and a lot of our friends live we get an overwhelming sense of community and well-being, this is leading us to think that we would like to move back. But this will be dependent on the decisions we make regarding point 3.

5. MR2

I have new rubber and rims on the MR2 which is kinda fun, and am hoping that the car continues to run as well as it has been so far. Future things I need to do is adjust my throttle positions sensor, purchase new spark plug wires. I may also have a few dead sensors that need replacement as the vehicle is running a little rich. But I will hold off on replacement until I've done as much tinkering as is possible. Reason for this is that it could simply be that the Mass Air Flow sensor is covered in gook, or perhaps my intake is all greased up. Many things it could be, just need a little free time to get all those things patched up. ;)

Halo: ODST

So this weekend was my birthday so I went and purchased a new video game for myself to celebrate. A friend came over and over the course of 2 bottles of rum we finished off the game. I found myself really enjoying it and finding it extremely easy to attach emotionally to some of the characters and couldn't quite understand why.

Today while playing I began to recognize the voice behind the character 'buck' and so went to imdb.com to have a look. Turns out that 3 of the voice actors in Halo: ODST are from another series that I enjoyed immensely called firefly.

So Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Alan Tudyk thanks very much for being awesome.

The 7 Bays of Glory...

So this is something I'm stealing off of a car forum that I peruse called the 7 bays of glory. You need to pick vehicles that match the criteria for each bay, money is no issue, and it's kinda fun.

#1 - Daily Driver

#2 - All Corners (must be AWD)

#3 - High Speed Heaven (luxury & power)
#4 - Mid or Rear (engine behind occupants)
#5 - Off the Beaten Trail (4x4 & such...)

#6 - Track Time (track vehicle)
#7 - WILD CARD (just fill the bay - balls, class, style, prestige ... whatever)

#1 - Daily Driver = Subaru Forester STI - Think Wagon with insane performance

#2 - All Corners (must be AWD) = Porsche 911 Targa 4S

Explanation - Porsche = rear boxer engine, 911 = Performance, Targa = panoramic glass roof, 4 = drive wheels, S = Super Awesome

#3 - High Speed Heaven (luxury & power) - Bugatti Veyron cuz everyone needs a car with 1001 horsepower.

#4 - Mid or Rear (engine behind occupants) = Toyota Mark 1.5 MR2 a tricked out version of what I drive now... i'd need about 15000 to dump into it...

#5 - Off the Beaten Trail (4x4 & such...) - Toyota FJ Cruiser - because I work at toyota and these things are hilarious to drive!

#6 - Track Time (track vehicle) = Lotus Elise - Cuz nothing handles quite like a lotus.

#7 - WILD CARD (just fill the bay - balls, class, style, prestige ... whatever) = The Campagna T-Rex, this one is heavily modified but I'd take a stock one ;)

Well that was fun. Wanted to make a blog entry the first thing I did now that I've gotten the Mac back up and running. had a hard drive die on us so we lost most things. Used it as a chance to upgrade so now have a Seagate 7200.11 1TB 32mb buffer hard drive inside, and have become a HUGE proponent of backing up!

Made me Laugh a LOT!

More of what I've been up to!

So tonight I got home at 12:15 a.m. because I was working on that car again. ;) I love it!

Anyway tonights project was giving the engine a really good cleaning b/c it is filthy, and we're trying to establish where an oil leak is coming from. B/c it is the easiest to change we started with the valve cover gasket, also this is a chance to look inside where the cams and valves are and look to see what condition these things are in. They are in good condition! :) Little bit of gunk buildup but nothing serious. So after taking off the covers, doing a little painting here and there of everything from windshield wipers to the center part you see beloy. (used to be black and nasty looking!) cleaning cleaning cleaning we got the new covers back in and went to fire it up. No dice WOULD NOT START! Problem? Well lets see we got it wet so prolly distributor. Which it was after blowing it out and getting it all dried up started up with a mighty backfire and away we went.

It's been a ton of fun learning all this stuff first hand on my $800 mr2 and the more I understand about vehicles the more I'm enjoying them. I'm not saying I'll become a mechanic. But it's putting meat on the bones of my love of cars.

Things that still need doing on the MR2? Need new wiper blades, possibly new distributor and cap, some more gaskets, some soldering for the headlights (so they'll stay on at night :*). These are on my to do in the next few months.

As far as my goal of purchasing and having a vehicle running for under $1650 (the selling price of my motorcycle) I'm quite pleased to say I'm still 150 dollars underbudget, and I have a reliable city runabout.

What I've been up to Lately...