Stealth still squeaks, but I'm thinking it's something to do with the parking brake. Maybe no need to worry? Needs tires though, especially fronts. If I go stock I'm spending $500-600 just for fronts (including labor, including on-axle balancing). If I go "below" stock (but still the same size) (not a good plan), I can shave up to $240 off that. A little more if I only go for off-car balancing (again, not a good plan). Or I can go for Michelin Pilot SX-MXX3s or Bridgestone Potenza S-02s or Yokohama Nexuses and spend $750. For fronts.

Allergies are moving right along. Saturday night (in Ft. Worth) was miserable.

Mother's Day was today.

Mavs won a game off the Spurs.

For Carla I had to scan a black and white glossy 8 X 11 of her head and then print it on the good paper with the good printer. Along the way I improved the original. I added a very subtle dark bluish hue which helped immensely.

My father has decided to run his Corvette out at Texas Motor Speedway on track day. This will be some time in the Autumn (cooler temps, race seasons over) and after he ditches the lame stock run-flat tires. The car can probably hit an actual 173 mph. I'm planning to videotape the session and Dr. Warren may be persuaded to bring his Porsche 911 Turbo out. I would bring the Stealth but it tops out at only 160 or so and with the problems, it wouldn't be wise.

My bike is Fucked. Going to need parts and repairs from a bicycle shop. In other words, won't be riding that anymore.

I brought over a helmet for when I ride pillion. It's officially a motocross helmet that I took the peak off of, but it should work okay as a passenger if I have sunglasses and in a pinch as a driver with goggles. It's surprisingly comfy.

Took another trip to the dealers. They had the Honda Reflex, which, seriously, you people should look into. Have another look here and here (yes, it's Geocities, you know the drill, just copy the URL and paste into a new window). Honda's got great financing, the thing gets 90 mpg, goes over 80 mph, the insurance will be low, and it looks great. I really liked the thing. But...

They had an FZ1. Pretty much my dreambike. Oh it was so gorgeous. The riding position was absolute perfection, it was like the tank and bars and seat and footpegs and grips and shield were sculpted just for me. My knees were able to tuck right in next to the tank very comfortably. The paint looked a foot deep. The engine was just a work of art. I gawked at that and sat on that for a long time. The Kaw place had a ZRX1200R right next to their old ZRX1100. And Yamaha's got this $30/month until January with no down payment deal going right now. I would have given my left nut to be able to ride away on that FZ1.

duo, in the meantime, has shifted his focus from 4 wheelers to dirt bikes. He picked out a nice little Suzuki 80cc two stroke that fit him pretty well. Hell, it fit me okay as well! Small, to be sure, but very rideable and damn fun just sitting on the thing! I don't think duo would outgrow it soon, if ever. But alas, we all left the shops dreaming, but empty-handed.

I rode this really long wheelie on duo's small bicycle. I can barely pedal the thing sitting down since he got the new seat. After seeing my wheelie, duo strapped on the knee pads and elbow pads, boots, his helmet, and his new motocross gloves and tried to do the same. It was a good thing he had proper gear, as he went down a couple of times. All it takes is one time going down WITHOUT gear on the concrete, and then one time going down WITH gear on to realize you should wear the gear all the time. Having massive bruises and bloody road rash spoils the fun, much better to hop back up and keep riding.

Well, anyway, here's the thing. I'm broke. I mean, I'm having trouble paying for anything. Even though I have $95,000 in my investments, I can't get any more loans from that. The next time the car breaks, I can't fix it. The bike, even though it's foremost in my mind sometimes, is actually sliding right back to the rear. I need to make a lot more money, and I need to spend less each month. I think what I'm going to try to do is work 2 jobs during the Summer. I don't know if that will work, and if I strike it rich and can make $12/hour or something, I can do without, but that's what I'd like to do. Summer school won't happen.

What I've decided is that the TV is going back to Ft. Worth. The broken bicycle is going back to Ft. Worth. I'm going on a diet. I'm going to sweat it out this Summer and not run the AC most of the time. I'm undecided on the credit cards. Certainly paying them off would be nice, but I wouldn't come out ahead for a couple of years! But having $50 less to pay out each month would be a boon.

I'm changing my major, pending a long talk with a UNT counselor on careers and paths, to Computer Science. I'm going to apply for financial aid (last time my trust fund flat prevented me from consideration, this time I may just lie). Following completion of a CS type degree (now we're looking into a crystal ball), I may attend a "trade" school that teaches marketable computer skills, I may go on with UNT grad school, or I may go back to UD for their IT grad degree.

I need: a reliable car (but not necessarily a boring lame car and not necessarily a new car).

I need: health insurance.

I'm also going to ditch my internet connection ($46/month), so updates to the diary will be few and far between. I'll still have a couple of weeks with it in case it assists in my job searching, and so I can say goodbye to everyone.

So, first things first. Getting rid of the bike, the TV, and the net. Working James Wood for one more week, during which a strong job search effort will be undertaken. It really is time to get serious. If I don't start somewhere, I will be 43 years old and still just barely making ends meet, always with regrets, always unable to acquire the material things I'd like to own, unable to pay for the life experiences that require money, looking back and forward with despair at the lack of success, dreaming of things rather than doing them, living "paycheck to paycheck" sweating the bills and making budget papers instead of relaxing with a modicum of financial security, living in a small apartment rather than owning a nice home of my own on a nice property of my own...