Ugh Sometimes...

So, this morning I went on a drive to the library to take back some books, and when I was backing out, there was white/gray smoke coming out of my tailpipe... Now, I have a pretty good idea of what's wrong with a car if most things happen. I am assuming that this is the beginnings of a head gasket failure. I sincerely hope this isn't the case and it was just a one time thing because it didn't look like it was happening any other time throughout the drive. I know it's pretty much impossible to see white smoke when you're driving away from it and it's coming from so low to the ground. I just sincerely hope that it doesn't end up being anything major like a head gasket which I wouldn't have the money to fix for quite some time. I've got a couple of ideas of how to fix it or temporarily fix it anyway but it still might be a bit before I can put those plans into action. Even longer until they were completely done. So, I looked at how long it would take to go from my house to work and it looks like it may take a little more than a half hour to get there and the same back. That isn't bad and I could easily do it if I need to though. I don't want to really lose my car right now though because I'm just not ready to go everywhere on a bike. It would definitely help me get into shape for the trip but I'd also have a difficult enough time meeting any appointments and such if I have to ride everywhere. I'd probably be able to go even fewer places than I already can. So fingers crossed for the life of my car for now haha. For those of you who don't know, I drive a Chevy/Geo Metro 3 cylinder car. It's officially a Chevy being a '99 but they are originally Geo's. It gets me around 40 to 45 mpgs if I keep it at 55 mph and under which I usually do. It's not free to use but it's definitely much cheaper than most other cars on the road nowadays that I see.

It Didn't Happen.

So, yesterday I was planning on going on kicking off a weekend long bicycle ride. It didn't happen. I ended up staying at a good friend's place and we hung out. We haven't done that in a while so it was pretty fun. We watched Hemlock Grove. If you don't know what that is, it's a Netflix original show. I loved it and for newer actors they didn't seem to do very bad. I think some of them were new at least. I recognized 3 faces from other shows/movies but can't remember what ones. The 2 main actors are, by their very nature, sworn enemies. One of them just doesn't know it's supposed to be that way and the other doesn't care. They start out suspicious of each other for various reasons but soon become really good friends. The reviews on Netflix are poor. I wouldn't have ever watched some of my favorite movies/shows if I followed reviews though so I don't pay attention to them most of the time. If you haven't seen it, I'd definitely recommend giving it a chance.

So, yeah we hung out and this morning hung out a bit more and I'm about to go on a bike ride right now to try to make up for the lost time. I might get 25 or 30 miles in today which would be nice but I don't plan on going over that. I just don't want it to take up my entire day. I cleaned up my dad's bike the other day too and that was fun. It's in relatively better shape than I originally thought. The chain needs replaced which will come very soon I hope. For a few days I think it will be fine and not destroy the teeth. Fingers are crossed. It switched gears really smoothly which I take as an excellent sign also and the brakes still work really well too. I see no rust on the frame. I replaced the front tube yesterday and it's good now. The hole looks like it was rubbing on the inside. It was right next to the valve stem and not really noticeable but oh well.

I had an incredible dream last night too. The problem is I don't remember it for the most part except for the fact that it was something that I really liked and had fun with. I tried going back to sleep when I woke up to try to continue it but my body was having none of that. So I woke up around 6 this morning and waited until my friend woke up then we just sat and talked for the most part. All in all, even though I didn't go on the trip like I planned, I still had an awesome weekend. How was everyone else's?

Today I Started the Search

Today I seriously started searching for cheaper ways to get the items I'll need for the trip. I looked at quite a few Salvation Army-like stores and found quite a few things that I could use on the trip very cheap. I don't, however have any money for it right now so I'll have to wait a bit longer. I thought about getting sponsorship but I don't wish to have any demands on my time. I don't want to have to be in a certain area at a designated date. I want to go at my own pace and not need to rush. This is one reason why I've also debated on whether or not I should take someone else with me on the trip even if I could find someone willing.

 I plan on going on a 2 day trip spanning probably 120 miles or so this weekend perhaps. I could also try for a single day of 120 miles but that would be quite intense I think and I don't believe I can do that quite yet. I haven't had much time to actually ride lately so I am slightly out of shape but I hope to change that very soon. Perhaps this weekend will be the start again. Work is still in the way right now so I won't be free until Saturday and I think that I'll be pretty tired at the end of the workdays. I think, though if I end up going on at least 1 25 mile or so ride a week (hopefully more but we'll see) for now, I'll get in better shape. My job will also be helping to get into shape though I don't think it will be as much. If anyone wants to go with me, they are welcome to come with. I don't ride very fast with someone else next to me but I don't go very slow either. I've got a backpack that I currently use for my bike tubes, pump, extra water, bike tools and patch kit and the like.

What is one place all of you want to go really bad? One of mine is definitely New Zealand. I've wanted to go there since I saw The Lord of the Rings, which was filmed there. Some of the scenes from that movie had the most incredible-looking real scenery I've seen in my life. I know that some of it was computer animated but there was much of it that was not. I'd love to go there. It's definitely on my list of most interesting places.

First Day Was Pretty Good.

So, today I had my first day at my new job. It wasn't that bad. Turns out we are putting massive amounts of dry mixture into a huge blender. Like, 1200 pounds or so. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Today was an extremely slow day over there and I didn't do much. I had a lot of down time sitting down... It wasn't that bad considering I learned quite a bit about what I'll be doing there but I also know that there will be days that I won't ever have a break. Maybe that won't happen often but I'm sure it'll be at least a weekly occurrence. Either way, I think this job still won't be very difficult. Also, getting there at 5 or 6 in the morning and possibly getting off at 2 or 3 is much better than my last job.

I seriously want to get my bike so I hope to get a lot of overtime the next few weeks. I am very excited to have a job that I can make the money I need to go on this trip. Who knows? Maybe it won't be a few years until I go. All I seriously need are a tent, bike, sleeping bag, clothes a map and food right? Honestly those things themselves won't take long at all to get. I could go to Walmart right now and get the sleeping bag, tent and food if I wanted to. But I don't because I want the stuff to last more than a week. If anyone has any suggestions for me to go sooner, please share in the comments. I'd love to go as soon as possible but I know that I need a few worthwhile items before I go.

Excellent Day Yesterday Too!

So, yesterday I got a call from my new job and they want me to start Monday at 7:30. :) Really excited to start my new job and I hope it's everything I want it to be. Last night I went to my friends house and we hung out, watched Hemlock Grove and afterwards played a few video games. Had a few beers and when we were feeling a little more relaxed we played some more video games. It was an awesome time lol. :) Then this morning we played some more games too and then went to get some breakfast at Mcdonalds. It's been a while since I went to Mcdonalds lol apparently their Monopoly game is back on again haha.

I've had a lot to think about lately religion-wise. I have come to the conclusion that I have no idea what to believe in. I don't know if I should believe in a God and a Devil or a Goddess of the Earth. I don't know if there are Gods that rule over the seasons and other Earthly things. I think that right now I should just take a step back and try to find my own spiritual beliefs even if those beliefs end up being that I have none. I'm sorry my mind is all over the place today and I can't seem to get my brain to put things in a logical order. What I'm trying to say is I don't want to be considered a "Christian" right now as I have been my entire life and don't want to have anyone trying to enforce the "God and Jesus" belief on me right now. Who knows? Maybe in a day or 2 I'll come back to the conclusion that I believe they're the real deal. Right now, though, I don't want to think like a "Christian" oh no I'm going to hell because I don't believe! Blah blah blah. If God is real and loves me as much as they say he does, I'm pretty sure he'll give me some time to see in my own mind if he is or not. He forgives right? XD Heck maybe I'll end up with the conclusion that life has nothing to do with Gods and Demons and just live. Why would I worry about afterwards right now if I don't even know what is there? Can't affect that so why try? Life's a dance and all that. We'll see later on how our choices now affect the "afterlife" or lack thereof. Right now, though, life's about now's choices not those ones that will affect later on. Bleh, sorry I'm probably not making much sense and I'm sorry for that.

On another note, I've been thinking about getting a cheaper bike than the Novara Safari that I was planning on getting from REI. I plan on not having very much with me. I don't plan on taking 50 pounds of junk with me. I am going to try to go as lightweight as possible. Tent, couple things of clothes, sleeping bag, food, first aid kit, spare tires and tubes, repair kits and tools, water and possibly a few other things. I hope to get my things down to about 20 pounds or so altogether and not worry about too much. It's about the adventure right? I want to be out in the wilderness or at least in nature and not have much to worry about. I think that will be the way I go but, as I said before, it's all up in the air until I get the money and decide for sure what I want to do.

Today Is a Planning Day.

I went this morning for the drug test with a background test too. Apparently it wasn't just the drug test and background test. It was a series of different physical exams. Could I lift 100 pounds, how good is my hearing. How good is my sight, How is my breathing blah blah blah. All in all the whole thing took around an hour. An hour of boring tests to see if my body is up to scratch. Apparently it is but it was annoying to say the least getting to those results haha. Oh well, it's over and done with now so no worries. In a couple of days I should hear back from the company about my start date then I can begin to make money again lol. I have figured up that in my first year I might end up making perhaps 20 to 22 thousand and maybe more. I have reduced my bills to where I am only possibly going to be paying 300 per month. To those who aren't excellent at math, The leftover every month at startup of the year, i.e. this month; I should be saving an approximate of 1000 dollars every single month. To many people that may not sound like much but to me, having always spent every dime I had by the end of the month, that is incredible. I'm not kidding, that is quite crazy sounding. I originally believed if I tried super hard and never bought anything, I'd be able to save maybe if I was lucky, that much in 3 or 4 months. We'll see but from the looks of things, if this job works out, I could save up much much more than I had originally planned for this trip and live in more luxury than I originally planned to do. Then again, there is a very real possibility of me putting away 10k into a savings account for the next 40 years or more and letting it gain interest. That actually sounds ideal but things happen so we will see. The downside ends up being that I'll have to spend the entire time living with my parents. No, I don't want to live with my parents for the next 3 to 5 years but that is the best way to save money. I understand that my vehicle will cost a large amount over the years for the upkeep but even with that expense, I think that saving upwards of 15 to 18 thousand a year is not impossible. The problems will come when I actually try doing it. I'm still a slightly material person and love the things in my room. Namely, my PS3, television and books. Those things I may want more of, my television may need fixed sometime in the future and I may want an updated game system or 2. I'm going to have a difficult time saving with all of these things in mind for the future but if I keep on track and save as absolutely much as possible, I can do this.