EF15
So, there's this picture here of everyone at Eurofurence 14 last summer (at least most everyone - i'm sure there are a few people who didn't make it into the photo) and i'm amused because... well... scanning the crowd, i see like maybe a dozen females XD Haha. You know, the gender ratio at US cons i've been to is fairly balanced. Probably a few more males than females, but there are plenty of both... anyhow, in Germany it's like an armada of tall ships. XD
So... there are people who want me to go to this years EF... and i'd certainly like to! I'd love to meet and hang out with my friends (and perhaps a few of my fans) out that way who don't generally get the chance to come state-side. I'm going to ask my boss straight-up if he would have a problem with me taking my vacation in the beginning of July for AC (which i've already submitted the request for) and then taking another weeklong+ trip at the end of August. EF is sandwiched right in the middle between Anthrocon and Furfright, with about two months in between each... but at least for Furfright it's close enough to where i live that i can manage to just shove my regular days off for two weeks together for it instead of taking extra time off... but yeah, two long vacations in two months... a little more to ask for -.-
I've got a spot in a room if i determine that i am able to go, which takes care of the biggest hurdle (besides finance) ...I would like to see UV again, too...
When i was getting my yearly evaluation, my boss's only real complaint about my performance as an employee was that i "take too many vacations" ...lol. What, am i supposed to not enjoy my life for the sake of my dumb minimum-wage job? The hell with that!
And like... hey, i haven't called in sick once since i started working there last summer. That ought to count for something.
...
Anyhow, Anthrocon is only like 3 months away. Wow... that came up fast, eh? I'm not sure how i'm going to get there... my car is not capable of any long-range travel in its current state... not when i have to refill the coolant every 50 miles because it leaks it all out -.-
So i have to figure out what to do about that. I'm pretty sure i know where it's leaking from - there's this place toward the front of the engine behind a big spinning wheel that looks really corroded, and the metal plate that's bolted on is like... WARPED. Everything beneath it is wet with coolant.
It's in a rather hard to reach spot... and engine work as it is seems to be pretty expensive... so i anticipate this being a costly repair. On top of that i need to get a new pair of tires, because i'm still driving with my spare on the front.
I've actually thought that maybe it might be time to get a new vehicle... i've had this one for over 3 years now, which i think is the longest run i've had of any vehicle so far. (I think i might have had my Mercedes for the same amount of time, but it might be a little less, i don't really remember exactly when i got it)
All things come to ends... and it would be nice to drive something smaller and more fuel efficient anyhow. That and it's a bit more difficult to criticize idiot yuppies in their passenger-free SUVs when i am driving a small SUV myself.
I've never been to a car dealership... but i wonder if that would work. I don't know if i could get a new car, due to having no credit, but maybe i could swing a used car. The thing is, it looks to be pretty much impossible to sell a car these days if it's not a desirable one - especially if you want to get anything for it. If i could trade in my current car toward the acquisition of something newer it would save me the hassle of having my car sitting there for months on the side of the road with a for sale sign, deteriorating further with each passing day as well as take a bite out of the new car's cost.
The best car i ever had overall was my first, a subaru - i'd really like to have something like that again. It's small, easy to drive, handles well in all weather, and is (comparatively) cheap to maintain. As cheap as any american car, but better made. The mercedes i had was the most reliable car i've had, but FUCK was that thing expensive to get parts for. Goddamn. The subaru i had blew out CV joints every few months, but they weren't very expensive to replace. (it was a common problem with that model i guess)
The mustang i had i only had for a month before it got wrecked, so it's hard to say if that was a good car... Though i can definitely say it was like driving a brick strapped to the shell of an uncooperative turtle... :D It could be said that it was quite thoroughly gelded. (It was the LE 4-cylinder model from the early 90s... it could barely do 80mph, and seemed to do 0-60 in oh... like about 20 seconds!) It was like driving a banana slug across fly-paper... ON A HOT DAY IN THE SUN. Also, the axles shook all over the place at 'high speed.' It's almost like it was assembled by starving, trembling children in a Nike sweatshop. On second thought, no, it was not a very good car.
And the ford f250 truck i had, well... let's not even talk about that. >.>
I've been driving for almost 8 years now, and i'm only on my 5th car... i guess it could be worse.
So, i shall be considering my options for cars. I need to do something in the next few months, otherwise it will be a long walk to Pittsburgh.
...
Human bean juice.
So... there are people who want me to go to this years EF... and i'd certainly like to! I'd love to meet and hang out with my friends (and perhaps a few of my fans) out that way who don't generally get the chance to come state-side. I'm going to ask my boss straight-up if he would have a problem with me taking my vacation in the beginning of July for AC (which i've already submitted the request for) and then taking another weeklong+ trip at the end of August. EF is sandwiched right in the middle between Anthrocon and Furfright, with about two months in between each... but at least for Furfright it's close enough to where i live that i can manage to just shove my regular days off for two weeks together for it instead of taking extra time off... but yeah, two long vacations in two months... a little more to ask for -.-
I've got a spot in a room if i determine that i am able to go, which takes care of the biggest hurdle (besides finance) ...I would like to see UV again, too...
When i was getting my yearly evaluation, my boss's only real complaint about my performance as an employee was that i "take too many vacations" ...lol. What, am i supposed to not enjoy my life for the sake of my dumb minimum-wage job? The hell with that!
And like... hey, i haven't called in sick once since i started working there last summer. That ought to count for something.
...
Anyhow, Anthrocon is only like 3 months away. Wow... that came up fast, eh? I'm not sure how i'm going to get there... my car is not capable of any long-range travel in its current state... not when i have to refill the coolant every 50 miles because it leaks it all out -.-
So i have to figure out what to do about that. I'm pretty sure i know where it's leaking from - there's this place toward the front of the engine behind a big spinning wheel that looks really corroded, and the metal plate that's bolted on is like... WARPED. Everything beneath it is wet with coolant.
It's in a rather hard to reach spot... and engine work as it is seems to be pretty expensive... so i anticipate this being a costly repair. On top of that i need to get a new pair of tires, because i'm still driving with my spare on the front.
I've actually thought that maybe it might be time to get a new vehicle... i've had this one for over 3 years now, which i think is the longest run i've had of any vehicle so far. (I think i might have had my Mercedes for the same amount of time, but it might be a little less, i don't really remember exactly when i got it)
All things come to ends... and it would be nice to drive something smaller and more fuel efficient anyhow. That and it's a bit more difficult to criticize idiot yuppies in their passenger-free SUVs when i am driving a small SUV myself.
I've never been to a car dealership... but i wonder if that would work. I don't know if i could get a new car, due to having no credit, but maybe i could swing a used car. The thing is, it looks to be pretty much impossible to sell a car these days if it's not a desirable one - especially if you want to get anything for it. If i could trade in my current car toward the acquisition of something newer it would save me the hassle of having my car sitting there for months on the side of the road with a for sale sign, deteriorating further with each passing day as well as take a bite out of the new car's cost.
The best car i ever had overall was my first, a subaru - i'd really like to have something like that again. It's small, easy to drive, handles well in all weather, and is (comparatively) cheap to maintain. As cheap as any american car, but better made. The mercedes i had was the most reliable car i've had, but FUCK was that thing expensive to get parts for. Goddamn. The subaru i had blew out CV joints every few months, but they weren't very expensive to replace. (it was a common problem with that model i guess)
The mustang i had i only had for a month before it got wrecked, so it's hard to say if that was a good car... Though i can definitely say it was like driving a brick strapped to the shell of an uncooperative turtle... :D It could be said that it was quite thoroughly gelded. (It was the LE 4-cylinder model from the early 90s... it could barely do 80mph, and seemed to do 0-60 in oh... like about 20 seconds!) It was like driving a banana slug across fly-paper... ON A HOT DAY IN THE SUN. Also, the axles shook all over the place at 'high speed.' It's almost like it was assembled by starving, trembling children in a Nike sweatshop. On second thought, no, it was not a very good car.
And the ford f250 truck i had, well... let's not even talk about that. >.>
I've been driving for almost 8 years now, and i'm only on my 5th car... i guess it could be worse.
So, i shall be considering my options for cars. I need to do something in the next few months, otherwise it will be a long walk to Pittsburgh.
...
Human bean juice.