Back in the Saddle at 7:30 PM

It's been a while again since I've posted. Lots going on and what not. We finally got quite a few things done with the house, so that's been good. Painting, unpacking, yard work, etc...It's not so bad when you're doing it for your own house. Except painting. Painting sucks no matter where you do it. It's not even the painting itself that's bad. It's the setup and removal of the supplies. It takes as much time to tape up the trim and the ceiling as it does to paint the whole room. But at least it's done for one room. The wife started out saying she wanted to paint everything, but after we finished the one room, she's not in such a hurry anymore. That's okay with me.

So I was having a great day yesterday. Work was good, and I was on my way home. On the way, I saw something that put me in a bad mood immediately. I'll start off by saying that when I left home that morning, gas was $2.24 a gallon. That is by no means something I was happy about, but I had started to deal with it. On my way home, I passed a gas station where the gas was $2.39 a gallon!!!! How could this be? I thought surely it was a one station aberration, because that tends to happen, and also the phrase itself has a good ring to it. But of course, as I passed more stations, the price was identical. My mood sank. Then I got home and saw that the toilet was leaking. Since there was no landlord to call, the fixing duties fell upon my incompetent shoulders. So I turned off the water and declared that particular toilet out of service until further notice. Luckily both my dad and my father-in-law know things about fixing stuff, which knowledge I assume was passed down to them from their fathers, and so on. So now I have to stop by Lowe's on the way home tonight and pick up a gasket repair kit.

Speaking of toilets, I've discovered that I hate low-flow toilets. This is the first time I've had them, and I've got to plunge them like every day. Can't we get a little more power in the flush? I'm just sayin. I know there's toilets out there that'll suck you down in there if you're standing too close. Mine are just weak. But I've bought enough things over the past month that new toilets is not even on the list.

In other news, the flags in town here have been at half mast for a few days, and I have no idea why. That tends to happen every now and then, and it drives me nuts. Shouldn't they have a website about this or something? It could be called halfmast.com, and you could just look up your location on any given day and find out why the flags are at half staff. Maybe I should start that site up. Too bad it wouldn't make any money. Maybe you could sell subscriptions. Find out why the flags are at half mast anywhere for the low low price of just $20/month! It's a cash cow, I tell you.

If you wouldn't mind (if there's anyone who hasn't given up on someday seeing a post here), I'd like to see what the gas prices are in your area. If you'd post it with your comments, I'd be interested in seeing that. For those of you living outside the states (or at least in Europe), I know the gas is much more expensive where you are. It was when I was in Germany, anyway. So I know my whining over gas prices doesn't impress any of you. And yet I persist.

Song of the day: "Back In the Saddle", by Aerosmith. Come on, you knew that was coming. Also, right after I typed that, this song came on the radio. Whoa.