You say goodbye, I say Hello! Hello! Hello!

Some of you know about my trip to Nigeria. And I've talked writing a novel about my experience there. Well, it won't be a novel it will be in blog form, here. But not today, I'll start tomorrow. I've been procrastinating finishing it (I did start it!), so I think procrastinating it one more day won't make much difference.

Now I can go enjoy my gout and my Sunday.

P.S. I made it to level 10 on my video game. Here I come level 11!

P.P.S. If you didn't know, all the pictures in my blogs can be clicked on a opened larger if you wanted to get a better look.

On to today's blog...


"You say goodbye, I say Hello! Hello! Hello!"


There comes a time in every man's life where he must do something really stupid. That time comes more often then not for most men. Usually it involves drinking too much, driving too fast, sleeping with the wrong woman, or all three at once. My momentary lapse into stupidity involves something much worse...

I bought a big truck.

But, before we get into that we must pay our respects and say our goodbyes to Old Shiny...



Old Shiny, you were a good truck. We shared many miles together. Okay, not that many. You never complained when you were parked for 6 months and hidden under a cover. Your brakes may have rubbed releasing from a dead stop, but that's what made you, you. I fondly recall sleeping comfortably in your cab half way back from visiting Uncle Z in Sacramento. I remember the first coffee stain in your upholstery. I remember the first scratch in your bed (Thanks SHAWN). Thank you for being the 2nd to last late model truck on the lot that was automatic, had A/C and said, "dual sport". You hauled many fine objects to and from my homes. But most of all, you hauled me. I will never forget you.

Okay, with that in the bag, we move on...

Say hello hello hello to New Bluey!



New Bluey has it all. Big dual cab, big bed, big tires, big useless "scoop" on the hood. And, he's blue.

He's got the automatic everything. He's got a rear view mirror that automatically dims at night when you are being followed by bright headlights. He has the A/C, he has the 6 disc changer. He has the outside temperature gauge and compass. This baby is loaded.

I even had them add touches for me. I put on running boards, hood protector, bed extender and seat covers. I'm really compensating for something...

Nicole and I talked about us buying this truck. I had to give her one good reason why. And the best one I could come up with was, if we have kids, we'll need a bigger cab. Okay, that wasn't it. The reason I gave was that this will be the first car/truck I'm purchasing because I want to. Everything else I've own has been out of necessity. I need a car for college. Thankfully my dad helped me get one. I needed a car when my college car was on it's last legs. Thankfully the Mazda dealer was selling off Old Shiny.

That... and if we have kids, we'll need a bigger cab.

Now I know this is probably not the most eco friendly move I've ever made. I'm getting less gas mileage than Old Shiny, I think. But John Mayer put it best. To paraphrase; You don't have to go out and become completely green tomorrow. Just do something to help the planet. Recycle, plant a tree, bring your own bags when you go shopping. There are tons of things one good person can do. But you don't have to completely change your life to contribute.

So Nicole and I do our part. We bought eco friendly bags that we use when we go shopping. We have a good recycle program with our garbage pick up. I've been to the hazardous waste dump a couple of times to get rid of the electronical things and old paint and liquids I shouldn't be stuffing in the trash (including batteries). We even are attempting to grow grass in our backyard (Not that kind of grass). I haven't bought those low watt bulbs for the entire house yet. As a lighting designer, I still like the warm amber glow of an incandescent. But I know, one day that will change.

So I think I can get away with this truck for a few years. When someone puts out a hybrid or bio diesel truck that I like, I'll be first in line to soup that sucker up with running boards, hood protector, bed extender and seat covers. Besides, I'm always on tour. I never drive the thing! And Nicole flat out refuses to drive New Bluey. "Too big".

When I traded in Old Shiny, he had 21,000 miles on him. That's about 4200 miles a year. No wonder his breaks rubbed. If I end up trading in New Bluey, he'll probably have just as many mile if not fewer since Nicole will never drive it.

So once again, Hello hello hello New Bluey! Enjoy it, that's a real smile on my face.