Drive

It's not really a consideration right now, but it has been on my mind some as of late. The idea is to replace the Jeep with either a more efficient vehicle or a more versatile one. I love my ride though, so I can not say I will be trying to do anything right away, but there is an appeal to both camps, especially when facing a considerably longer commute soon. Then again, with the top off and a Rockies game on the radio, where is the problem?

As I have been considering it, the two most important aspects are the soft top and a potential bed in the back for ability to haul more. I also firmly believe, if you can swing it, you should love what you drive. After all, it should be able to offer some thrill when you get to drive it.

My top picks, in fantasy land are the Smart Car convertable, a Yaris, a Scout International, the Brute conversion for my Wrangler, and just a simple pick-up.

Of course, the bike would still be my first choice.

26.2 at 5280!

I am all signed up for my 4th marathon. This year will be the Denver Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
on October 9th. It will be wonderful to train in the town of the race this time, but I will be bummed to lose that training at altitude advantage. We'll see about improvements though. It could be my first marathon as a nonsmoker. I am told by a running friend in CA, that alone could shave 30 minutes off my time. Intriguing, but I am a little skeptical. It would be fantastic to break the 4:00 mark in my home town!

Home Stretch

We have been given an early estimate on our closing date. Dramatically it is on the same week our lease is up. It is now a matter of weeks, which is pretty exciting. New challenges are looming as well. Things like grass, a fence, etc. are being figured out. Neither Tiff nor I have ever done this before. It is exciting and also a new chance to find middle ground on ideas.

Damned if I do...

It's been a little better than 3 weeks now since I made the plunge into nonsmoking. For the most part it has been pretty good. The cravings though are intense and right now I am riding out a significant one. I hate being in that place where I can't say as I want to smoke nor do I want to fight the desire to smoke. Limbo.

By the by, the pic wasn't within the last three weeks.

Not Included

 The process of purchasing a house has been educational, to be sure. So many things we were unaware of going into all this. Of that lengthy list was the learning what is included and what is not. Having once purchased a new car that a passenger mirror was an option, I thought I would be ready for the odd ball bag of what you needed to get separately and what was included. I have not been terribly surprised yet, but what kills me is the cost the builder would like to do some of the not included items. That seems like a no brainer, but when your finance sheet is in decimal points you ordinarily do not operate in, it's tough to keep perspective. "Only $200 to do that/ A bargain!" Not always true though.

Quite often too, I could do it and probably well for far less. For example, Tiff and I found our "not included appliances yesterday. It will end up saving us quite a lot. The biggest challenge was discovering we are in one of those places where we don't know anyone with a truck. Slowly though, the house is coming together and move in day can not come soon enough.

Baseball!

It's finally back! Baseball! I love baseball season because no matter the day, no matter the problems in life... there is a game of baseball being played to take your mind off of whatever it is that's troubling you! While I would have loved a Rockies win yesterday, I am excited to see them do well this year.

Recharged

Sometimes you just need a timeout to recharge. Today was that day. You know when that day is needed, your mind is brain is slow and your body is shot. It helped to step off the hampster wheel today.