Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in lewdo's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004
3:10 pm	ARG!!! Yeah, so my alternator is fried and the insurance company won't cover the costs to replace it. The claims agent said, "There is no physical proof [that can prove] the alternator failed as a result of the accident". I am sorry, but any time an alternator goes up in smoke (literally), there is something that caused it. I am willing to bet the battery was damaged in the accident, causing some kind of short. That bitch of a man (the claims agent) better not cross my path. Due to the fact that I have incurred about $700 in damages I didn't know I would have to pay, I can't even afford to have my car fixed properly. The Ford dealer agreed to fix what is called the "header plate" (a cosmetic piece located above the headlights and grill). In doing so, I can use some of that money on the damages not covered by insurance. The more I have thought about it, I don't even know if I want the car back. The idea of driving a car that has sustained significant suspension damage doesn't exactly thrill me. I guess I am just gonna have to wait and see how it drives. After all, I can't afford to buy a new car at this time anyway. Current Mood: pissed off (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2004
2:15 pm	What now? Things just seem to be getting worse for me. Last week I was notified that my car is going to need a new ball joint on the side that was NOT hit. If it is not replaced, they will be unable to align the front of my car...which is bad. What is worse is that it is going to cost me about 300 bucks. Because it was the side that was not hit, the insurance company will not pay to repair it. If that isn't enough, I got a call from Greg at the Ford dealer yesterday. He just wanted to let me know that they got the suspension damage taken care of, and took it out for a spin only to have the battery die and smoke come from under the hood. I have no idea what is going on, but I don't like it. The battery for my car is going to cost me another 80 bucks, and they don't even know about the alternator yet (that could be about $200). What I do know is that the exhaust leak better be fixed, and I am not paying for it. Let see...what else is going wrong... Oh yeah, my knee is killing me again. It started hurting Saturday morning and has hurt ever since. It feels like a relapse of the injury I got working on the ceiling in the basement, only worse. I think the pain is starting to subside, but I am not going to hold my breath (I might die). Current Mood: stressed (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 27th, 2004
11:17 am	Progress... Well, I talked with the guy fixing my car in the body shop yesterday. He said they finally were able to rip into the suspension. They found a lot to be replaced. Apparently the lower control arm, steering knuckle and a few other components need to be replaced. According to the guy I talked to it will be "well over 1000 dollars in parts for [my] car". That doesn't necessarily sound good, but at least it means they are working on it. He said they look to have it done by the first part of next week. I was thinking the other day that the word "wheel" is a good word; it rolls of your tongue. I like peanuts, but I don't think they are worth the mess of cleaning up the shells. This weekend should be pretty interesting. I decided I am not going home this weekend, so I am hoping to sleep in and relax a little bit. One of my best friends is having a Halloween party too. That should be...entertaining. Thus far I have not decided if I am going to dress up or not; kinda doubt it though. Current Mood: okay (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, October 22nd, 2004
1:36 pm	Ahh video games Well, last night was fun because Praveen came over and we played NHL 2K5. It is a pretty cool game (much like NFL 2K5, except a different sport) because you can draft your own team, make trades and sign free agents. We concentrated on signing really young talent, and then traded them away for slightly less young slightly more talent. Our team is freakin awesome! It may even be better than the team Ian and I created in NFL 2K5 (which is just down right impressive). I am still pretty bummed about my car. It is strange; I think my pride is hurt more than anything. I know my car is going to be fixed, but it still sucks knowing that I was in an accident. In the past, I have always been in control while driving. I am always aware of my surroundings and am rarely in the kind of situation were life and property are in danger. The accident has since brought me down to earth in that I now know that no matter how good a driver I try to be, there is always a few dumbasses out there that will screw everything up no matter what I do. Also, driving a newer Nissan Altima is all well and good, but it only has the 4 cylinder! Oh yeah, and my mom goes under the knife for the second time in a week today... (Comment on this)
Thursday, October 21st, 2004
2:15 pm	...Why...? Well, it has officially been a really long time since I last updated my journal. To be honest, I really haven't felt like doing a whole lot lately. Things haven’t exactly gone well for me this month. For those that haven't heard, I was involved in a car accident on October 12. Both Ian and I were okay (as was the guy that hit me), but I am afraid Ali (my car) was injured. I did everything I could to avoid the accident, but there literally was nothing I could do. The guy that hit me didn't see me driving down the road and pulled out right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, sounded horn and cut to my left in hopes of avoiding the accident, but he nailed me right in the front passenger wheel. The damage didn't look all too bad; but having been hit in the wheel, it caused some suspension and steering damage. As a result, it is considered "unsafe to drive" and his insurance company got me a rental. I finally had it towed out of my parking lot and taken to the body shop last night. Looks like it will probably be about 1-2 more weeks before she will be ready. I just hope she will look, ride and drive as well as she did before the accident (if not better). So far, the estimate has come back with a little over $3,000 in damage...but they haven't even checked for suspension and steering damage yet. So, now that I have successfully depressed myself even further... Ah yes, the basement. It is going pretty well. This weekend my dad and I should be finishing up many of the final touches. This weekend we are going to be installing molding and staining the doors. That will probably take a while, but I am hoping to get it done this weekend. The only other things that will still need to be done are the installation of the bar (cabinets are on order), and the installation of the carpet. Unfortunately, I don't know how to install carpet (at least not well enough to do a project this size), but the bar shouldn't be too bad. This weekend will also be pretty busy because both my dad and friend Cori have birthdays tomorrow. We are going out for Cori's birthday, but I still don't know what's going on for my dad. Well, I should probably get back to work so I can do...nothing at all. Current Mood: pessimistic Current Music: My phone is ringing (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 29th, 2004
2:42 pm	Wonder why? I got to thinking today, and I realized that I am not afraid or very many things. I am scared of the usual things like family/friends safety, death (kinda), and never making it out of DeKalb. But I also realized that I am afraid to make a fool out of myself. I don't really know why, but I find that I need to act professional in nearly any instance. One may think, "that's a good thing", right...wrong. In many cases, the inability to let loose and be kinda crazy is a bad thing. I find that I am far more uptight than many of my friends, and it's generally because I'm afraid of what other people think of me. I wish I wasn't this way, but it is really hard to change. I have friends that can go out and do karaoke or other things that can very well lead to embarrassment (and yes, some of you are pretty good at it (you know who you are))...but do they care? No. I am not saying that I want to go out and do karaoke, but I wish I wouldn't care what other people think of me every time I do anything at all. I wonder if I can work on that... Current Mood: confused Current Music: Goo Goo Dolls - All I Wanted (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 28th, 2004
9:05 am	I AM KING! Yeah, so I beat Fable last night. It was pretty cool. My character is a total badass now. I can literally go around and kill things at will. The only thing I don't really understand is why nearly all of the women in game want to marry me. What the hell? I HAVE HORNS! BIG SHARP HORNS! I don't know, maybe they are just as horny. hehe Current Mood: awake Current Music: Sweet silence (Comment on this)
Monday, September 27th, 2004
11:09 am	Were did all the food come from? I think I am still in a food coma! Oh the FOOOOD! This weekend went really well. Friday, some friends and I went to the NIU football game here in DeKalb. They played really well and handed Bowling Green a pretty good spanking. After that we went out to Rosita's for a bite to eat (the first of good food). Had a pretty good size burrito and lots-o-chips. Saturday I got up and made breakfast for Mike and I (I know, sounds kinda gay, but I didn't have any milk for cereal) before hitting the road for Champaign. Oh the pancakes...so many pancakes! We hit the road at about 10:30 and were in Champaign by 1:00. We met up with Rohit and made our way to Sonic were we had our burgers, fries and ice cream (yeah, more food). After lunch, we went back to UIUC and made our way around campus. We toured a couple buildings and just talked for a few hours. At 5:15 we had reservations for Biaggi's (spelling?), a really good Italian restaurant. We went there the last time we visited and it was really good; it didn't disappoint this time either. I had my pork chops, coffee (both of which are some of the best I have ever had) and tiramisu (so much food, so little time). We went back to Rohit's place for a few hours and had some beer and watched TV. At about 11:00, we decided it was time to go out and hit the town. After about a half hour of walking around town, we decided to go to Brothers, and stood in line for another half hour just to get in. It was a really nice bar, kinda like Molly's here in DeKalb, only more visually appealing. Let me clarify by saying the bar looks cooler because it is on the second and third floors of an old industrial building. We were there until closing (2:00 AM) and made our way back to Rohit's. Once back at Rohit's, we watched "Mean Girls" and hung out while Mike and Rohit ordered and ate Pepperoni Sticks (or something like that). Yeah, believe it or not, they had MORE FOOD! I was so full; I declined to partake in the gorging. At around 5:00 in the morning, we decided it was time to crash, and Mike broke out into "Oh wow" hilarity (those that have seen the video will know what I am talking about). I got about 5 hours of sleep and then got up and took a much needed shower. At about 1:00 we left and picked up Kapil on our way to lunch. After a rather satisfying buffalo chicken wrap we hit the road for home. I know what many may be thinking, but the face feeding frenzy didn't end at upon arrival in DeKalb; it just got worse. Yeah, we went to Pags...what were we thinking!? Pizza...so...good... I ate so much over the past weekend; I wasn't even hungry this morning (kinda rare). At this point I have no choice but to work out this evening. Hell, I'm thinking I may just have to go every day this week, just to compensate for my overindulgence. Current Mood: full Current Music: Metallica - Sad But True (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 23rd, 2004
2:01 pm	Why work? You know, I have never really considered myself a lazy person, yet lately I want nothing more than to do...well, nothing. The last 4 months have been so hectic, I just want to sit around and drool for a couple of days. I went home for lunch and played Fable. After about 35 minutes I just said to myself "will they really miss me if I didn't go back it today?" About two seconds later I remembered Jim wouldn't be in the rest of the afternoon and came to my senses. The last day I remember taking off from work (besides holidays) was when I went to Hawaii...the second week January. I think I may need a day off. Current Mood: tired Current Music: Dean Martin - Houston (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2004
11:05 am	Oh no...her water broke! Last night was an interesting experience. At about 5:45 I walked outside after hearing some yelling, only to find Dave (one of the apartment maintenance guys) walking by. Dave gets off work at 4:30, so it's really strange to see him here after 5:00 (usually a bad sign). Sure enough, one of my residents had the hot water supply line burst yesterday afternoon, flooding her apartment. When I walked over she had anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of water everywhere in the apartment. Obviously, this was going to be a multiple person job, so I told Dave I would help clean up. I was over there for a little over two hours pulling water out of the carpet (over 100 gallons worth). I offered to put her up in a hotel, but she decided to stay at a friends place. I left fans blowing on the carpet all night trying to dry it out as much as possible. When the maintenance staff came in this morning, they pulled the carpet out. New carpet should be installed by noon. How's that for service? After finishing working just before 8:00, I went to the rec center. That was also interesting because it had been quite a while since I had last run laps. Over the past couple weeks we (Praveen, Ian and I) have played basketball and rode the bikes, but had not run. I managed to get my two miles in, but I hit a wall on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th laps...it was a pretty big wall. I didn't so much break through the wall, but more or less fell over it. Current Mood: content Current Music: The "Popcorn" song is running through my head (Comment on this)
Monday, September 20th, 2004
3:51 pm	What a weekend Per my usual, I went back to the parents place and worked my ass off all weekend. We got a lot done and I am pretty pleased with that. We finished all of the sanding, so the drywall is actually DONE! I then scrubbed the floors by hand in order to pull up the embedded drywall dust (after sweeping obviously). We then were able to start painting. We got a coat of primer on all of the walls except in the hallway. Mom and Dad are going to have to do that themselves. As it is, I am in so much pain today. Every muscle in my body aches...even my feet hurt! I am really looking forward to this weekend. First my friends and I are going to the NIU vs. Bowling Green football game. Then Saturday, my buddy Mike (and others?) and I are going down to UIUC to visit our good friend Rohit. It will be the third weekend in four months that I haven't been up at my parents place working. I need a little time off. It will also be nice going out with friends, something I don't get to do very often anymore. Frankly, life is getting a little lonely. I work out with Praveen and Ian 2-3 days a week, but most nights are spent with an X-Box, puzzle or movie. You can only do that so many times before you start to question one's self worth. I have even thought about enlisting into the military again...Navy or Air Force. If I didn't have a college degree, I would probably go ahead and do it. But to get the degree and then not use it; seems pretty stupid. Also, I am not too keen on the idea of being in the military until I am 27 years old. If I were a little younger, I might be more inclined to sign up. In other news, Ali (my car) is doing pretty well. She sounded great last night; she likes the cool weather. I found that the tires were under-inflated and it was causing a wheel imbalance. I added about 9 pounds to each tire and she rolls smooth again. The check engine like came on again (not really concerned about it), and I am willing to bet that the Lincoln tech misdiagnosed it. I am sure it is emissions related, but as long as my car is registered in DeKalb, I don't have to worry about testing:) I finally got my Mark VIII repair manual, so I am hoping to take it to Auto Zone and have them pull the fault code. Then I can look it up in the book and fix it myself. That would be super... Current Mood: melancholy Current Music: Gymnopedie No. 1 - Satie (Comment on this)
Friday, September 17th, 2004
3:49 pm	Bored again Kinda funny how nearly every post I have put up has in some way delt with how bored I am at work. Oh well, the truth must be told. Yeah, another slow day in DeKalb. This past week has been really quiet. Lana still seems overwhelmed with her job. I think I should leave before she does. If I don't, I may never get out of here. Damn company loyalty...causes nothing but problems. On the lighter side, I picked up a copy of Fable yesterday. So far I love the game; it's so damn funny. I started out with a good character, but found that I wanted to do mean things, like beat up little kids and steal stuff. As a result, I created a new character at lunch today that is, dare I say it, EVIL. Yeah, it's even more amusing than being good. Maybe this game will change the way I look at life. Careful friends, who knows what I gonna do to you the next time we get together. I may have to punish you for your insolence! Current Mood: weird Current Music: Ozzy - Perry Mason (Comment on this)
2:38 pm	Error...Error (oh my robot balls!) It looks like Wednesday was the last post, not Thursday like previously stated. Sorry. The statement was provided by the Department of Corrections. No feelings were hurt in the making of the apology. (Comment on this)
1:59 pm	Been...so...long... Wow...I told you that if you were good I would update again Thursday. You must have been really BAD! I am truly ashamed of you. Where do I start, probably with the basement project? Last weekend dad and I worked (as usual) on the drywall and nearly finished the final coat of mud on the walls. All that was left was the bathroom and I guess dad finished that earlier this week. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to sand the final coat...soooo, I know what I'll be doing this weekend. I can't wait until this part of the project is done. However, I must say that it is a source of pride because it is looking pretty nice. If we were to have hired out the mud work, I am willing to bet they wouldn't have paid attention to the details my dad and I have. As for my car, I got a couple of things taken care of last weekend (yeah, car and basement in one weekend). I was able to get the local Lincoln dealer to check it out last Friday, and they found a couple of problems. My check engine light was going off because the dpfe sensor had gone bad (monitors EGR backpressure). They wanted $282 to replace it. They also found that one of my "speed sensors" is bad and wanted an additional $180 to replace it. Unfortunately, they didn't find anything wrong with the exhaust (I know that should be good, but I hear a leak). On the downside, they also found that the shocks in the rear of the car have been destroyed. The upper shock mounts are in pieces and one of the shocks is leaking a lot of oil (almost empty). They bid an additional $359 to fix those. As you can imagine, I said thanks but no thanks and paid them $140 for the trouble-shooting and oil change. I managed to pick up the dpfe sensor from Auto Zone for $55 and got that replaced. As for the speed sensor, we don't think they actually meant speed sensor. Upon inspection, we found that the speed sensor is actually in the transmission and figured they actually were talking about the ABS wheel sensor. It was covered in dirt and other assorted grime, so we cleaned them and are hoping that fixed the problem (FREEBIE...ZIP, ZERO, NADDA). As for the shocks, I haven't decided what kind I am going to get. Either way, the upper mounts are a dealer only part (another $35 a piece). I also changed the front brakes on Saturday. That went pretty well (really easy to change), but I had to buy new rotors and pads (cost, $90 for rotors and $50 for pads). I also think one of the calipers is hanging up because the car pull to the left under moderate breaking (will check that one this weekend). This can't keep happening. I "need" to get back to work. Hopefully the next update won't be so long. Current Mood: hyper Current Music: "Monster, Monster Garage" (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 8th, 2004
12:07 pm	Hello again Well, yesterday was a pretty good day. Work went well, as did my workout and trip to Aurora. Praveen and I worked out a little longer than expected yesterday (we were there for about two hours). I road the bike for about 15 miles in 30 minutes, and then lifted weights. It’s going pretty well, but I am really getting frustrated because I look like a damn pansy. I am capable of lifting a lot of weight (repeatedly no less); yet my arms look like twigs...I just don't get it. I know it has only been a little over three months, but that doesn't mean you can't see results. Well, time for lunch. If you guys are lucky, maybe I will give a further update later today:) (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 7th, 2004
1:42 pm	Ahhh...a better day Well, today is going pretty well. Actually, I am really surprised considering it's Monday...err...Tuesday. Usually the phone is off the hook, but today it has been pretty quiet. I am finally starting to get some kind of feeling back in my hands. Unfortunately, not all of them are pleasant. The constant sanding off drywall has wreaked havoc on my skin; believe it or not, I am actually molting. Either way, I'm sure they'll be better before I tear them up again this weekend. (Comment on this)
Monday, September 6th, 2004
9:49 pm	Another one bites the dust Well, there goes another weekend. We got a good deal of work done today. Finally, all of the seams between the drywall have been taped and have two coats of mud. Now, they just need to be sanded and given a final coat...before more sanding...again. We also got the French doors installed in my dad's office. Mom was getting a little pissed about having to park outside (the doors have been stored in the garage), so we installed the office doors and moved the rest to another area. Mom is oh-so pleased. Next weekend I get to work on my car. It is stating to fall apart! Things to be done: Change the oil Fix the brakes Fix exhaust leak Troubleshoot "check engine" light Rotate the tires Troubleshoot the traction control/ABS issue That will probably take the better part of Saturday morning. After that, "BACK IN THE PILE"...I mean, back to work in the basement. What a week I have to look forward too. Current Mood: lethargic Current Music: Taproot - Poem (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 5th, 2004
11:25 pm	Will it ever weekEND? The last two days have been nothing but drywall mud and sanding.  Frankly, it's been horrible.  Thus far, we have put a total of 20-25 gallons worth of mud on the walls, and at this time are all out (another Menards run tomorrow).  At this point, I can't wait for Monday to come and go.  I need to get out of the basement.  Tomorrow we will put the third coat of mud on the walls, but that means we will most likely not get the doors installed like we had hoped.  Initially, we were also hoping to get a coat of primer on the walls, but that obviously isn't going to happen either. In other news... Yeah, I really don't have any other news.  I live a pretty dull and boring life, so that’s about it. Oh and word to the wise.  Just because it is Labor Day doesn't mean you have to kill yourself doing a job.  Maybe next year I will try my own advice Current Mood: sore Current Music: Focus and a Dell commercial (Comment on this)
Friday, September 3rd, 2004
11:23 pm	Weekend You know, it's funny. Most people look forward to a three day weekend...as do I. But I have found that I prefer the four day work week even more. Go figure. Anyway, work went pretty well today. I finish the apartment directory with time to spare. I don't know what I am going to do next; maybe I will start on the website. Only problem I has is that I am not very good with Photoshop, and I am going to need it if I am going to build a respectable page. Luckily, I got a copy of Photoshop 7 from Pro. I should be able to load that on to the old computer and screw around a little bit. I might have to ask Steph or Chris for a couple pointers. The last website I did Mike really helped me out, but now he is largely inaccessible (plus everyone goes to him for computer help, and I know it gets annoying). As for the basement project, just about all of the drywall taping is done. After getting home this evening I was able to load the dumpster with all of our left over sheetrock. Only took about a half hour. Tomorrow I will get to bring the concrete up from the basement for disposal; not looking forward to that one. You gotta do what you gotta do. Current Mood: calm Current Music: The hum of a case fan (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 2nd, 2004
11:26 pm	Another day, but not so bored Well, it was an interesting day today. I found out that Lana (my new coworker who took over for Paula) isn't really happy working at Suburban (my employer). She said that it isn't what she thought it would be, but she is going to try and hang in there for another month to see if things get better (she is pretty overwhelmed by the workload). I have noticed that she has been pretty stressed out and have tried to take some of the pressure off of her by picking up the slack. Over the past couple of weeks I have taken it upon myself to relieve Lana of different duties and have therefore done them myself. Quite honestly, it is starting to get on my nerves. She totally overreacts about the workload and being behind schedule. Jim (my boss) and I have told her that we are always a little behinds schedule this time of year and that it gets better, but she doesn't really listen. As it stands now: I answer nearly every phone call, write every receipt for rent, am creating our resident directory and now answer all questions received via email (things that aren't typically my job). I have no problems taking phone calls or rental payments, but damn near all of them everyday? Seriously...this better not go on for long. I am still supposed to rebuild the website for crying-out-loud. Lana better not quit. I don't know if I can go through training another person again...already. On the bright side, I found that I still had some chili in the freezer from last winter. Made it for dinner and it was GREAT! Actually, I had to call my dad and rub it in his face. He doesn't get any till mom makes it later this fall or winter. Oh, and I guess my dad is making pretty good progress on the basement finishing project. I got a good portion of the drywall taped last weekend, but he should have it finished by the time I get home this weekend. We hope to finish up the mudding and get a coat of primer on the walls this weekend. After that, we get to install the stain and install the doors. I just hope we can get the woodwork to match the rest of the house. Well, off to bed. I need all the beauty sleep I can get. (Comment on this)