ROFL!<br><br><br>Took a few days to drive the moving truck while towing my car. I've exhausted all of my savings while moving and getting set up. There are a TON of little things that you never think about until you move into your new place and you need them. Like garbage bags, toilet paper, paper towels, and so on. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>The trip was fine, we (my girlfriend and I) got a flat tire on the trailer between Redding and Sacramento (yep, I saw the building that Schwarzeneggar works in). The tire just exploded while we were driving. There was some debris on the road and I missed it with the truck tires, but the trailer tires weren't so lucky. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>The only other incident was when we finally got to Lancaster, we arrived at 6 pm, and the leasing office closed at 5 pm. We had to wait a day. Then we got everything moved in, and started setting up things.<br><br>Then I decided that it sucked to have my girlfriend set stuff up in one room while I'm doing stuff in another. So I told her that I could take care of all that stuff later.<br><br>Spending that last weekend together was both <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>VERY</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> sad and extremely happy at the same time.<br><br>After moving everything in, I was taking my girlfriend to the airport in Ontario on Sunday night (March 21), when my car just died in the middle of the freeway. It had felt <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>so</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> good to drive it around after being stuck in a stupid moving truck that has a hard time getting up to 25 from a stop light. My girlfriend skipped her flight so that she could stay with me another night while all the car stuff was happening.<br><br>I got my car towed to an auto repair shop, and got a rental car so I could drive back to Lancaster (it's about an hour and a half away). After that, I learned that my timing belt broke and caused <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>massive</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> damage to my engine to the tune of at least 1900 dollars for repairs. If the mechanic has to replace any of the parts to the head, it will max out at 3500. I do have a warranty on the engine, but the warranty won't cover it because I was supposed to change the timing belt at 90,000 miles and my car had 95,000 miles on it. I had planned on doing it once I got down to Lancaster, but it broke before I could replace it. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Now my car is in the shop and will stay there for another month or so. There is anohter car ahead of mine that needs similar work, and it will take about 2 weeks to do the job. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>I turned the rental car back in last night (March 30), and that cost over 400 bucks. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br><br>I'll get my first paycheck next weekend, but it sucks having to worry about that much money leaving my soon to be filled wallet.<br><br><br>I <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>just</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> got my DSL installed. They screwed up the order at first because my new place didn't have a phone line yet. When the computers did the check on the line, they got screwed up and it hung my order at the "pending" status.<br><br>I started work on the 22nd of March, and it's going well so far. I don't have too much to do, but since I'm the only new guy coming in that's had prior industry experience, I know how busy things will get. I'm enjoying the calm before the storm while I'm waiting for my clearance. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>It could take me quite a long time to get cleared. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br>But in the meantime, I'll be doing some fun stuff. I get to go to the National Test Pilot School for some classes in the coming weeks. Those should be fun!<br><br>Plus the AirForce will pay for most of my classes if I decide to pursue another graduate degree. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br><br>And a bit about my work...<br><br>I will not be able to check the forums from home. I'll get email, but no forums. Access to that kind of thing is restricted.<br><br>I don't really do much while I'm there. I don't have a clearance, so I can't really do anything that's very useful. But like I said, I'm enjoying the calm. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>I work with some fun people, and I've already been carpooling with some of them. The drive to work is much more fun with people in the car with you, I've found. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br><br><br>Overall, I'm pretty excited. There are some REALLY cool things going on down there, and I'll get the chance to work on pretty much anything when I get the clearance. The other thing is that when sonic booms hit the building I'm in, the whole thing shakes! This building is big enough to fit planes inside it, and it's about 5 stories tall! It's awesome, but when I first heard it, I thought it was an earthquake or a bomb!<br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=
http://pub141.ezboard.com/bxmenclan.sho ... andtm>XMEN Ashaman DTM</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://theta_mercenaries.homestead.com/files/xmen.gif" BORDER=0> at: 3/31/04 7:56 pm<br></i>
