2003 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4x4 Limited V6 with the TRD offroad package.

No rust. 1 billion miles (okay, 182k). 2-owner, second being my neighbor. Yep, my neighbor finally decided to sell it to me.

Oh yesssssssssssssssssss!

Farewell.

For those who were curious: I have finally gone 24 hours without a triple digit fever. Last night was the most I've slept in eight days. Now just feel like a mild cold, a welcome change. I think I'm on the upswing. Two days ago was about rock bottom for me.

I posted about this on discord, but I figured I'd share.

I found out my wife had contacted Lexus of Bellevue and attempted to put a deposit down on an IS500 without me knowing. She even told them it had to be red. She hit a less-shitty wall to the one I hit at Lexus of Asshole Sales rep, I mean, Seattle -- but she is friends with the former VP apparently (small world!) so she was optimistic. At this time, none exist and they have a waitlist, etc. They were apparently "working on it" but...

Anyway, there is no deposit and there is no IS500. But I have to say my wife is the sweetest woman on the planet to try to do something like that. But I told her it was just a pipe dream and paying $63k-$70k on an ancient platform with a dinosaur yet sonorous Yamaha-designed DOHC V8 that revs to 7,200 rpm is just not in the cards and I have absolutely no interest in from a pragmatic point of view whatsoever. This however does prove that I must have been talking about it once or twice since this was hinted way back in 2020 I'm an okay husband: I'm loyal and low maintenance, but I talk too fucking much.

So maybe I'll just overpay for a 2019 Yaris LE Hatchback? This is the Toyota-based Yaris, not the Mazda2 one. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

We lost little Spoke this morning.

At midnight, she was lumbering around our room, but still mobile. All night, she kept crawling around the bed, trying to get under anything. Every ten minutes she let out of this piercing, yet weak by her standards meow. I would stroke her for a minute to soothe her. Her little head was the only thing that she was not uncomfortable with being touched. By 4am, she had crawled under by pillow, still meowing, and and comically wedged herself between the mattress and the headboard. Upon inspection, she had peed on me as I expected, and when I went to move her... We discovered she had lost all use of her limbs. So we held her, wrapped in a series of towels, and pet her little head until the vet arrived early this morning to put her down. Two day ago, she was splashing around in the laundry room sink. This morning, couldn't even move. Never seen anything like it. We believe it to be kidney failure.

My throat hurts from all my blubbering. My wife is crushed. Watching it all happen in real time makes me sick to my stomach. She didn't even get one last day of chasing a laser, oh a pile of smoked salmon. She was just done.

She was a great cat, but didn't have the best past two years. Her hyperthyroidism I think lopped of quite a few years at the end. The volatility of her weight before- and while- medicated, inconsistent appetite, and progressed age... She never was the same. She was never anything like this, but she lost about six steps and got back maybe two. Her last panel was all good, everything was fine on paper.

And even with her UTI three years ago, which we treated promptly, she would never venture too far from the little box. She never had crystals again, but had been saddled with an overactive bladder.

12 years of killing birds and rats, scaling fences, destroying my couches... It all just started falling apart after 2018.

We'll miss you, Spoke.

The above is one of my favorite photos, of anything. This was six years ago, by the way. Oh, how time betrays us all...

Thank you as always for your time.

It's still a joy to jump in every week or two and putt around town. Probably my last vehicle with a manual transmission and a oil pressure gauge ️

There's no trunk like a bed! I would have had to fold down all the seats in the Paseo for this. Here, they don't even get near the wheel well.

Was this post necessary or informative? No, but I hope someone else here enjoys looking at this tin can half as much as I do.

Thank you as always for your time.

I am far from where I typically am, on a much-needed break. Consider this a PSA to make time for yourself, which is something I'm no good at.

Farewell.

Yesterday, posted that I was concerned about FedEx holding my package for five extra days, approaching a week past my estimated delivery date. @AestheticsInMotion took it upon himself to offer to contact that facility regarding said package, and was given a vague reply, but a reply nonetheless. Within a few hours, I received an update that my package was out for delivery, and then a few hours more it was delivered!

Coincidence? I doubt it! But he should take some credit regardless

Let the title be a spoiler so as not to build suspense. Our kitty cat had a lump removed from his neck some years ago, I think either three of four. It was so small and superficial at that point, it was basically just snipped off without sedation. But over this past year, it has returned and it is big. Maybe the size of a hemisphere of a marble.

We took him in earlier this week to get it looked at. We got some shots and asked for a test on the lump. The vet said it appeared fine and didn't appear to be extending through any muscle tissue and so forth so it was probably nothing, but ran the test anyway. Upon examining the sample, the vet said there was a "concerning" amount of "excessive cellular activity." So it was sent for further testing.

We got the call today that it was a tumor (or did she just call a cyst? In any case: NOT cancer) but was benign, and they don't recommend removal or any action at this time and that he's a healthy boi. He's a bit old so we don't want to do unnecessary surgery if we can avoid it.

Given our other cat just passed last month, and we had a big scare with Luna last week that I didn't post (she's fine, but we had to induce vomiting because she ate something that might have killed her. She's fine now!), I am relieved that this kitty cat is gonna hang around for a moment longer.

Yes, today marks my 8th anniversary of Longboi ownership. I don't really have anything different or new to share about it, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Farewell.

@Shop-Teacher said in "Barrett-Jackson caliber vehicle in creation and condition":

@Dr-Zoidberg said in "Barrett-Jackson caliber vehicle in creation and condition":

@PowderHound Caprice wagon rear?!?!

First gen Taurus.

That's even worse!

@PowderHound Caprice wagon rear?!?!

@davesaddiction said in Austin Drops Out of Top Ten Places to Live:

@Highlander

Top Ten Places to Live*

*if you bought your home there 5+ years ago

Exactly. The top ten places right now are places that the public hasn't is a a budding market or "hidden gem" yet.

As far as the list goes, most of these cities' average wages would not allow you to buy a home with a cash gift from relatives or fat equity from elsewhere. Proving once again, the most desirable thing is not a place, but money.

@WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAthenGTInowA4

@Snakesm13 In any other era, this is just a nice Craigslist old pickup.

@MasterMario That GX is a little too cheap for low mileage and no Nav...

[Warning: Upon review, this post is quite negative. You should leave.]

All I do is work. And I don't just mean for my employer. If I'm lucky, I'll have a sliver of time decompress, walk the dog, shitty comments on discord, and maybe cook a nice dinner. But that's after errands, cleaning, and unforseen family obligations. I seem to have less and less "me" time with the passing of... [Checks notes]... uhh, time. I don't even have kids!

My property looks like ass, to me. I have three yards of bark sitting for like a month, of which I've moved 1/4 yard so far. Weeds in all my bed. Spend my Friday nights mowing, edging, and clearing so that I have time during the weekend to do more shit and not relax. Typically at this point of the year, I'd have this all on lock and even improve something by now, but I'm significantly behind. This should be the part of the year where I just have to mow and water a hanging basket once in a while.

Home repairs? I have stuff that should have been done when I moved in four years ago. First it was no money, then it was no subs willing to work because of the lack of skilled labor and high demand, and now it's that plus no time. Me doing a whole lot of nothing. Have had two GCs flake in two years. Not uncommon, but let me say my decade working for a subcontractor has done jack shit for my "connections." Best thing was I had a GC go AWOL after committing to a major project (like, emails, texts, calls, nada) and six months later ask me to bid other projects he took on instead. "Go fuck yourself?" Nope -- I'm not allowed to do that working for this employer. So indeed I did bid and land two projects with him and the subject was never brought up again.

Cars? I haven't even driven my Tacoma 1,000 miles in 8 months, Lexus has gone maybe 1,500 miles in 12 months, longboi gets a spin out of respect once in a while... Other hobbies? If I had them, I certainly can't think of what that are now. I'm a simple man. Doggo, cars, beer, sometimes in the company of people I don't hate. But maybe someday I'll get back to that.

I also looked at my last paystub and realized I'm on pace to make LESS than year. And, adjusted for inflation, my best-earning year was now four years ago. Something something working more for less... But I don't want MORE money, I want more TIME. The problem is, I need money. I've looked at other careers -- even similar careers for different employers, shall we say. Different clowns, same circus -- often at a large paycut that just won't work.

Speaking of cuts, every month or so I receive a small little blade in the mail. Just received notice my homeowner's insurance is going up. Hey, that itself is no problem, the dollar ain't what it used to be. The problem is I've gotten the same letter since last year from the water district, PUD, PSE, refuse -- oh, and of course Xfinity quietly raising prices. "Inflation, Zoidberg! Get with the times!" All I know is I'm definitely not earning 10-20% more, so...

And the people... My god, the people. Everybody wants something from me. You know what I want? People who respect my fucking time.

This is all punctuated with my usual acknowledgement of things that I have that others don't, and that associated guilt for having these thoughts, much less sharing them, I should be ashamed and/or grateful -- but the reality is: this is how I feel! I mean is that what this all is? You just work and work, and one day you finally die? Super great.

Well anyway. I apologize this grossly negative and personal post. But life isn't all floormats and tonneau covers

@HammerheadFistpunch said in The struggles:

@Dr-Zoidberg i genuinely wish this was an option

You've already paid. You planned. You held up your end of the bargain. I'm confused as to how they can do this. The answer is they can't, which is why they're putting pressure on you to be "polite" or something and let them not honor their end? Please never give these people the time of day again, or use their services.

@HammerheadFistpunch said in The struggles:

I got information today that the renters heard that their kids are coming to town that week and simply assumed they could have the rental we booked. The person I rented from mentioned this to us and wanted to know if there was a possibility of us changing our plans

How about, "No?" You booked it. It's not a booking if it's not booked. This is incredibly irritating.

@PowderHound said in Second rent increase this month:

@AestheticsInMotion $700 a month for condo HOA fees they best be doing my dishes too

Not entirely unheard of, especially in the particular city in which @AestheticsInMotion currently dwells.