I can't say I was surprised....

...when I heard the familiar squeaking in my car that said I was going to have to invest some money in new brake pads. So I patted myself on the back for catching it early, and proudly walked into a Goodyear place called "Lamb's" and said, "Well, I think I need new brake pads...It's squeaking and I wanted to get it fixed before I need new roters." 

"Well, that's a good idea!" the guy said. He took my keys, and I sat down in the waiting area and started to read this article in "Texas Monthly" about a parent of a frat boy that went to some school in Dallas that overdosed on drugs and they were investigating his death, stating that the person that sold him the drugs needed to be charged with homicide, and all the normal "We taught our son to stay away from drugs" blah blah blah. 

About ten minutes later, the man asked me to follow him into the garage. Oh boy. He pointed out to me that my struts were covered in rust, my brakes were completely covered in rust...my tire tubes were screwed up, so my allignment was all messed up b/c the tires were wobbly. There was an oil leak that was spreading oil all over my alternator, which meant that at any moment, if the alternator wasn't able to breathe the way it was supposed to, my car could pretty much explode. (My words, not his.) Also, some belt had cracks all over it, and if that broke, my engine would die immediately, most likely in to 5:00 wall to wall traffic on the freeway. The guy pointed all this out to me,  showed me the belt, and the massive amounts of rust and oil leakage...there is not a thought in my mind of, "Oh, he's taking advantage of you." I knew there were problems with my car from the beginning, but I did not expect there to be $1900 worth of business. I'd told him that we just moved here when he asked me earlier if I'd ever done service with him, and so he knew suggested that instead of tackling EVERYTHING that was wrong, they just do the stuff that was needed to be done to keep me alive. They had a "Goodyear Plan" that they could set me up with, where I pay for 6 months, interest free. So I thought about it: I can either fix up my car, pay $250 bucks for 6 months or I can get a new car and pay $250 for 5 years. Obviously, the 6 months is a better plan. He said I have a good car, if I get it fixed up it will last me a long time. I only have 93,000 miles on it...

So that totally stressed me out earlier today. I made it home and to work BARELY on time...atleast I have a job...

I'm pretty sure I figured out a six month plan...for AFTER my "Goodyear six month plan". There are tons of gyms in the area, and most of those gyms have studios where you can do pilates and yoga, but most of those gyms only have one yoga teacher, and they are pretty large gyms. So I think that I am going to spend the next few months working out, and practicing my yoga consistently, and then once I get done paying off my car in 6 months, I am going to go to Yoga Teacher Training at a studio called Yoga Yoga. They have a volunteer program now, where I can volunteer my time cleaning the studio, or doing other things that need done for the trade of a free yoga class. So I will become familiar with the school that way, and after awhile I can go to Teacher Training, and then I can go to different gyms around the area and teach yoga there. 

I'm thinking it's a good plan. Not only will I have a job that I enjoy, but I'll have a job that will keep me from getting osteoperosis, which runs in my family, and I can stay in shape and not be miserable as I grow older due to lack of activity. 

Right now I am at work at Blue Marble Java. Now that I am trained, I get to be here all by my lonesome, and it seems like we are much busier in the daytime than at night. I think 5 people have come in since 2:00. Maybe more...maybe ten, but definately not anything NEAR busy. Luckily, there is a computer and an itunes folder FULL of music, lots of stuff I've never heard of. MGMT is pretty huge here, and TV on the Radio is pretty popular. 

Yesterday Clint and I went to a place south of the lake called SoCo...short for South Congress street. Lots of odd little stores, it's the "hip" place to be here in Austin. The frustrating thing is, most of the stores that had odd little knick-knacks had things that I used to make (like little magnets) or stuff that I had an idea to make and never did. So I could totally have a store making bank right now had I followed thru. Shucks. 

I'd better get started on my closing duties...but I thought I'd post a little something. Til next time....