My friend Mikey breaking out the Bon Jovi at a soundcheck:

Goosebumps, I tell you.

As you may have heard, though maybe not, as the news seems to have forgotten this story, the furloughs got cut from eleven to six days. As such, today is my last furlough day. Starting next week, I’m back to working and getting paid for the customary forty hours per week. As much as I’ll love to have that extra few hundred bucks a paycheck back, part of me is going to miss these long weekends. On that previous assignment when I was working four ten hour days, I truly cherished my Fridays off – these Mondays, besides being one less day of my currently grueling commute, gave me a little bit of extra sleep, and a bit of time to decompress. As much as a pain in the behind this whole endeavor was (and may still be, because who knows what may happen next), it wasn’t all bad.

So, as is customary, here’s a sampling of the things I did while my employer told me I wasn’t allowed to go to work.

To quickly offer some context, I had a pretty awful week. The less said the better, so I won’t say more. However, on my drive home, I got a phone call that was provisionally some really good news. subsequent events have made this news a little less provisional. I’m not going to say any more publicly until I’m a little more sure, but if all goes well, I think it’s going to be a good development. After getting home, I helped pack the boy off to Scout camp (during which he had a good time – he says he caught an Oyster Toadfish while fishing from the pier, which, admit it, is pretty cool), then the rest of us took a ride across town to join some friends playing board and card games for a few hours. It was a pretty good night, where fun was had, and I got got share my provisionally good news with some people I care about.

Saturday was pretty typical. Took a run to the library and the farmers market, did some laundry, and then the girls and I took a ride over to the city, including dinner at one of my favorite places to eat, well, ever, The Galaxy Diner, where we had delicious sandwiches and fried dill pickles served to us by aloof, tattooed hipster girls.

Sunday was quiet as well – hung around at home, mostly. Did some more laundry, and played Mars Needs Mechanics, a new board game that came in the mail a week or two back (thanks to my backing the Kickstarter) from local concern Nevermore Games. We had lots of fun with it – it’s a great little market simulation with lots of cool steampunk trappings. I recommend giving it a shot.

Today, the unpaid day, the spouse and I spent a bit of time out this morning tracking down birthday gifts for a certain little girl; running to three or four different stores to obtain the mythical, so-called “Mane Six” in proper configuration. I hope the kid appreciates it (though I’m sure she will). I also filled out some paperwork related to Friday’s provisional good news, chatted on the phone with a friend for a while, went for a bike ride with the little girl mentioned above, which involved just as much petting all the neighborhood cats as it did riding our bikes, and played a couple of rounds of Kill Doctor Lucky, another board game I picked up recently (originally created by the awesome company Cheapass Games, which is kind of an interesting variation of Clue in reverse. My lovely wife won our first game on the first turn of the first round. I was impressed.

Not sure what I’ll do the rest of the day, what left of it there is. I expect I’ll probably be busy the next couple of weeks, if all proceeds as planned, so I’m going to try to enjoy the quiet a bit.

I got up early for a doctor’s appointment, then tried strapping the bike rack on the new car. Thankfully, it fit without too much trouble, even if the bike looks huge hanging off the back:

Finding that things fit, I took a nice 10 miler through the woods over at Dutch Gap Conservation area before it got too hot. It was actually the first time I’d ridden over there this summer, and it was long overdue. No interesting wildlife sightings, but I smelled a skunk I was glad I didn’t meet. The trail was in good shape – will all these storms, I was expecting to do a bit of stopping and climbing over fallen limbs.

As for the rest of the day, I’m going to read a bit, maybe log some game time, and listen to my friend John Anealio’s new EP. Sounds like a plan to me.

As most readers are probably aware, I was recently forced to buy a new car. I talked about it a bit after a couple of days and a few hundred miles, and at that point, I kinda liked it, but was still in the “getting used to it” stage.

A couple of weeks in, and thanks to my larger than average commute, my odometer just turned over 1800 miles, and I’ve driven the 2013 Toyota Yaris SE under all sorts of conditions. I still rather like it, though as I alluded to earlier, it’s just similar enough to the old car (both being small cars primarily engineered by Toyota), that it’s taken a little getting used to.

First of all, let’s talk about the stuff I like. The gas mileage on this thing is truly excellent for a traditional internal combustion engine* – so far, I’ve averaged around 37.5 mpg all around, and a hair over 40mpg when you factor out “city” driving – this is well above the reported 30 city/36 hwy/32 overall on the sticker. I couldn’t be happier. The Vibe did pretty well, averaging about 33 mpg overall – this extra little bit is already saving me money. The engine is a bit smaller, of course, and it’s got a little less power, though the car itself is only a hair above 2200 lbs, so there’s a bit less to pull around. In any case, it won’t win any high-speed titles, but it’s got enough “go” when you have stomp on it to merge with freeway traffic or pass by an obstacle.

I’m also a fan of the steering response – it’s got very direct steering, with very little play in the wheel – you turn the wheel, it goes. I like that. Being the SE model, it’s also got stiffer “sports inspired” suspension than the standard model, which gives a pretty flat turn with minimal body roll. I’ve seen some folks online talk about tightening things up further by adding a TRD rear sway bar (surprisingly inexpensive), though I haven’t felt the need just yet. It’s plenty fun around corners as it is, with it’s small footprint and wheels well out to the corners, although it doesn’t really feel any smaller than I’m used to (except when I’m backing it out of the driveway and looking over my shoulder – the fact it’s a few inches shorter is much more apparent to me).

Of course, I’m mostly not driving it like I stole it, thanks to the ECO light. It’s a little light that stays on when you’re driving within optimal efficiency parameters. This little light, combined with the average and real-time mpg calculators, have effectively gamified fuel efficiency. You really want to keep that light on and those numbers as high as possible, which leads to steady pedal pressure and reasonable speeds, which really drives you toward the best fuel economy possible – it’s a simple thing, but it’s just as interesting as a piece of social engineering as any of the mechanical engineering involved.

In terms of interior comforts and such, it’s pretty spartan (yet still attractive) inside, which, oddly enough, I’m okay with. The instrument cluster is simple and largely analog – speedometer, tachometer, and gas gauge, with a digital odometer with a couple of trip counters and the mpg calculator – and it’s right where the driver can see it, and there aren’t any of the fancy (and mostly distracting) LCD information centers and media screens. The last generation of this car had a weird center-mounted instrument pod; I’m glad things are a little more traditional now. it’s still got the power locks, mirrors, and windows, which is nice, and the radio is self-contained and not spread all over the dash, while still having nice things like bluetooth phone integration (really a must-have for me now – a really nice feature), HD radio, and USB and AUX jacks (hidden in the glove box). Despite being several inches shorter, it’s got roughly the same amount of passenger space as the old car – I can get three kids across the back without a problem (defined as “no more complaining than usual”), and the seats are comfortable and generally supportive. I give up a little bit of cargo space in the back, but that’s to be expected – it no longer passes the “guitar in the back hatch” test, though it is more than capable of hauling groceries and the usual non-guitar cargo.

Plus, it’s pretty and red and has nice alloy wheels and four wheel disc brakes and lots of airbags and is rated to hold up well in a collision, which, given the cirucmstances leading to my buying it, is somewhat important to me right now.

Now, the stuff that takes some getting used to, of which there are only one thing. The main one being the fact that it’s an automatic transmission; a four-speed automatic. Again, as most of you are probably aware, all things equal, I’d prefer a manual transmission. I’m used to them, and I like having that level of control. While I’m geting used to it (and my left knee generally appreciates the auto in DC stop-n-go), I still find myself reaching for the clutch and the stick (with my muscle memory taking my hand to the place where the stick used to be in the old car – an area of open air in the Yaris), and the car doesn’t always shift where I think it should. Part of this is my manual transmission mental programming, and part of it is the fact that most modern automatics are running six gears or CVT (which is what Japan and Europe, the primary markets for this car, get), which tends toward better use of the power band and even greater efficiency. I understand Toyota was aiming to a price point with this car, making use of a more proven (and more simply engineered) drivetrain, and still coaxing excellent mileage out of it, but it kind of irks me that it could do even better with some slightly more advanced technology. Oh well, I’ll get used to it – mostly, I’m just a stick snob.

And that’s really about it. I’m largely happy with my purchase, and expect to continue to be, beyond a few little issues that are largely mine, rather than the car’s. Toyota makes a quality automobile, and I couldn’t be happier with the customer/owner experience (special shout out to Mike Davis and Haley Toyota – it was a pleasure). I expect to have a nice, long relationship with this one.

_______

* – I nearly bought the Prius C instead, which is built on the same basic platform as the Yaris, and looks pretty much the same except for some tweaks in the rear end. I really was almost swayed by the promise of 50 mpg, though it’s really not designed for the kind of driving i do. that 50 mpg comes primarily from short trip urban driving where it can really make use of the hybrid drive train. I probably wouldn’t do that much better than I get with the Yaris. Also, at the rate I’m going, I’d blow through the 8yr/100k battery warranty in three years, and I’d rather not have to replace a battery (a pretty steep expense) out of warranty. However, when Colleen’s in the market in a year or two, we’re pretty much settled on this or it’s successor.

I really didn’t do much of anything, because of this damned summer cold I found myself saddled with. Laundry and rest, basically.

I played some music with some people on Sunday, and couple of us parental types took our kids collectively bowling. That was kind of cool.

In amongst that, I started hacking around with my GURPS books and built a couple of super types for the upcoming supers campaign (Not sure whether I’m going to use the invulnerable sushi chef or the former thief who can yank (mostly) useful items out of a personal dimensional rift in the multiverse like a Looney Tunes character), played some Lego Batman 2 on the PS3, and made a trip to the library (and now I have way too many books in my “to be read before they’re due back” pile, though I’ll probably burn through them quickly because they all look good).

Not my most productive weekend. Oh well. I forgive me.

…Lego Marvel Superheroes has certainly become one now, especially after this announcement hit the ‘tubes:

Waugh!

Yes, I’ve been somewhat quiet lately – heck, I’ve posted little but the occasional song list and some silly pictures for most of the last year. You all know my schedule, so you know what life’s been like for me lately – something has to take the hit, and it seems it’s been the blogging. I would love to write some more interesting, personal, thought-provoking essays, but my head is so full of “drive/work/drive/sleep (maybe)/work/etc” that when I do get a free bit, I don’t have that many profound thoughts that don’t sound like whining. And when I do get a little bit of a break from those thoughts, I tend to venture other places.

That said, I need to do a bit of a thought dump now and then, if only because I use this blog as a record to figure out what I’ve done with my life as much as I use it for sharing (occasionally) profound thoughts and opinions with the universe. This entry will probably be more of the former than the latter. Think of it as establishing an alibi.

So, last weekend, I didn’t do huge amounts of things – the unpaid Monday included a doctor’s appointment, some long-overdue housecleaning, and lunch with a recently retired friend, who, a few weeks into life as a gentleman of leisure, looked amazing and younger than he had in years. The lifting of the work weight (he and I worked similar schedules in the same offices for years; only he did the business that I’m doing now a lot longer) really agreed with him. I’m rather jealous, really. Unfortunately, I’m only 38 years old, and have a heck of a long time until I can follow in those particular footsteps.

The intervening week was pretty typical, except for the introduction of the new car into the commute (averaged 39.2 mpg last week – w00t!), and Thursday being my fifteenth wedding anniversary. Colleen and I managed to get out for an early dinner at a new place we’ve heard about, Plaza Azteca (I won’t link to it, because they’ve got autoplay music on their site, and I hate that crap), which was good, but honestly, I prefer my little dive Mexican place around the corner. Still, it was nice to get out and try to have a date, which we don’t do enough anymore. I also learned that the furlough pay cut isn’t hitting me quite as hard as I expected – I think this has largely to do with the fact that I’m losing enough money to knock me down a tax withholding peg or two. It’s a relief right now, but I don’t quite know what it’s going to do come tax time. Oh well.

Friday night we hung out with friends, playing card games and making each other laugh. Mike and Charlene, the hosts, seem to be the center of the Venn diagram of all my various circles of friends in this town – they know everyone, and they always bring together and interesting group.

Saturday, Colleen and I had another “date” of sorts. We got a last minute invite to join our friend Colin’s “Afternoon with an Art Professor” event at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Colin teaches art at a local college, and puts this event into a charity auction we attend every year, and he had a few openings when some of the original winners cancelled. He and Colleen are on a committee together, so he asked her if we’d be interested, which we were. I’ve lived in this town for over fifteen years, and have never been to the VMFA, which is really a shame, because it’s a beautiful space. Getting a private tour of a portion of a collection (this year’s agenda featured American art from rougly 1850 to 1950) from a real-life art professor for a couple of hours was a real treat. I really need to get back to the museum and check out other parts of the collection.

Sunday, our GURPS group got together again, and our group of intrepid adventurers very nearly got to the end of their particular quest, and we only set a few things on fire. Again, we spend most of our time sitting around making each other laugh, and rolling some dice occasionally. it’s always a nice afternoon hanging out with friends. One more session should wrap this particular campaign. We’re looking into starting up a Supers campaign soon, so I need to start coming up with a C-list superhero concept to play with. Any ideas from the peanut gallery?

Monday, the official unpaid vacation day, I got up early and was remarkably productive. I got the oil changed in the spouse’s car, stopped by the bank and paid off the loan of that car (more than a year early, and now I have one car payment again!), and set the teenager on the task of cleaning out that car’s interior, which was a real mess. I also took care of paying the bills, and taking care of the semi-monthly run to Costco for staple foodstuffs, and the cupboard was rather bare. In the early afternoon, I took the spouse’s car to the local car audio place and had them install the aftermarket radio from the dead Vibe (which I pulled and replaced with the factory radio before the damage assessments started rolling in) into her car, since the faceplate on hers disappeared (and replacement faceplates cost nearly as much as a new radio) and she’d been without tunes for a couple of weeks.

While that install was happening, we wandered over to the nearby pet store to look at fish. A couple of weeks back, the heater in my big tank went bad, and heated things a bit too much, resulting in the loss of many fish (including the elderly cherry barb, a bunch of rasboras, and Princess, the bristlenose pleco) I replaced the heater a little more than a week ago, and things have settled down. However, I wanted to add some more biomass to the tank before the biofilter bacteria took too much of a hit. I ended up with a school of cardinal tetras, who add some nice color to the tank, a cute little otocinclus catfish, and a bunch of ghost shrimp, because I like them.

So, anyway. Lots of disparate things there. A busy, but generally rewarding couple of weekends.

Picked it up Friday. Very nice. 2013 Toyota Yaris SE. Looks like this:

(That one isn’t mine, but looks exactly like this.)

Anyway, I like it so far, after only about 250 miles (we took a ride out to Williamsburg on Saturday for a shake-down).

Glad this whole insurance claim business is over. It wasn’t fun.