the hitch is not in yet. boo.

getting prepped for the big wedding this weekend in
huntsville. my friend ellen from tuscloosa (orig from mary-land) is gettin hitched to my buddy kurt from huntsville (transplanted from NY) ... yes, i did introduce them. they met at my college graduation party. crazy how things work out, eh? i just hope they don't call me out in the reception or anything =-/

sarah has refused to be escorted to another wedding, so i'll be going stag. after all the weddings as of late, i'd almost refuse to escort myself, too.


man, that quad is appealing ... and i'll be able to tow things by this weekend, too(!)
- posted by Matt @ 4:06 PM        

 
well, made it nashville & back A ok - only took me 3hrs to find and replace plug wires on

the v-dub. glad i took the afternoon off!

had an awesome weekend with sarah, too - her new apt is all about location. it's easier to

get to than getting into downtown, and it's walking distance to lotsa cool stuff like sushi,

sports bars, theater/music venue, etc. cool neighborhood, too. got home in time for mom's

surprise 50th (and 51st) bday party. only crappy part of the weekend was that we lost to

UF. by alot.

ordered a hitch for my car, should be in this week. then i can tow around small things like

jetskis, utility trailers, 55-gal barrel grills, etc. =-)
- posted by Matt @ 9:02 AM        

 
wellllll, looks like my big football party plans are kaput. the only for-sure attendees

that i have for the weekend are leaving saturday morning before the UA/FL game even starts.

now i'm trying to decide on whether to stay around town to hang out with the fellas or drive

to nashvegas to hang out with the woman ...
- posted by Matt @ 9:08 AM        

 
geez, i'm just no good at this, am i?

well, i think the motorcycle might actually be sold. guy came to look at it on sunday, and really liked it. he doesn't have the cash now, but he's apparently coming into a lot of money soon (next week) and is just waiting on that. sad to see it go, but considering the insurance/registration/risk, it's a good thing. i really don't need to be riding it anymore. one day i'll have another, though ... =-J

moving on to the next thing, though! the house idea is apparently out of the question for at least another 6-9 months, so in the meantime i'm thinking about a 4-wheeler. i've wanted a dirt bike since i was a kid in jr high riding my friends' bikes, but a quad makes so much more sense, and it can do so much more - i can ride trails with my friends, i can get off the thing w/o worrying about it falling over, i can carry a 2nd person if a really had to, and i can tow things around with it (jet ski, trailer, other quads, etc.) not to mention the fact that i've found a place in TN that sells new units at nearly dealer cost ($1600 less than other dealerships!) i've applied for the loan, just have to find what i want, and find a way of getting it here (truck/trailer/helicopter). here's what i currently have my eye on:


- posted by Matt @ 6:45 AM        

 
this should be the only japanese news that you read today ... but you don't have to read japanese to understand it! =-)

ok, there's good news, there's bad news, but in typical Honda form, there are no answers.

first, the bad news - still won't find out about Japan until monday. the japanese counterpart that has the final say on who goes will not be back from summer vacation until monday, and his stamp of approval must be had.

now, the good news - the departure date has been pushed back ... to Sept 18th (!) sooooo, Japan-bound or not, I'll be in New Orleans on Sept 8th/9th! score! also, in the case that I do go, it means that there will be more american associates at AQAO when I would be there, and less of a language barrier. AND, I'll get to go to a football game or two before I would leave. AND, I can apply for my passport without having to get expidited service. all good stuff. The only bad news is that this would not allow me to climb Mt Fuji like I'd originally hoped to do, since things get pretty cold at 12,500ft come October.

until monday ...

... oh yeah, for those wondering, i still hate northerners.
- posted by Matt @ 4:13 PM        

 
nothing in stone, indeed. still no word on Japan. the higher-ups have made no announcement, and i can't even get an inkling or probability that i'll go ... lotsa 'i don't knows' ... grrr. beggars can't be choosers, i guess.

i suppose its official now - sarah and i are dating. we talked about it and everything. doesn't change anything really, its been this way for some time, just now we admit it i guess. it's a good thing, regardless. as much as i dislike akward conversation about it, i hate ambiguity even more.

reading a lot more lately, which i am glad for. i'm on a krakauer book now - Into Thin Air, which is truly majestic so far. not so much because of his writing (which is good), or the happy story (it's about a tragic climbing incident), but more because of the subject matter (climbing everest), which requires very little talent to induce imaginitive visions in my head of mountains and snow and valleys, especially ones i haven't seen. it's about the same climbing season/incident depicted on the IMAX movie Everest, and after reading this, i hope to find it playing somewhere like Mcwane or the Space & Rocket Center soon.

end of the day, nearly - time to head home & get a bike ride in before hitting a much-needed cleaning spree of the house - in & out.
- posted by Matt @ 3:38 PM        

 


and I did indeed opt out on grad school. some may cry cop-out, i respond with 'responsibility.' it was well past time, and whats more, i needed a break, a change of pace. well, i'm at Honda now and enjoying things as of yet. started in march, which puts me at the 4-month mark. crazy. in the real world for 4 months strong.

aside from all that news, there's more - i'm being considered for a training trip to japan(!) how cool is that? my boss approached me about it last week, told me that it was available, and asked if i was interested. 'heck yeah!' so my name is in the hat. a few folks in the know have suggested that i'm on the short list, so there's a chance!

only regrets would be missing football games this year (new stadium decor) and greg & gen's wedding =-/ tough to be away for such important events. especially when they're certain to be so fun!

nothing set in stone as of yet ...
- posted by Matt @ 1:51 PM