Ever since I bout my Suzuki Sidekick I have been having trouble with it.  It was working fine for a while, or so I thought.  I soon began to notice that if I took a short trip...to church, the post office, etc...and turned the truck off it would not start for a couple minutes.  I would have to wait a while and then it would start again.  I also noticed that if I took it for a "long" trip...Manassas, Warrenton, etc...it would be fine for the rest of the day.  I thought it might be thae battery, so I replaced it.  It didn't help.  Oh, and the muffler rusted off sometime during all that.  I took it over to my neighbor who is a good mechanic.  He replaced something on the batter.  I don't even know what it's called.  Some thing that held the cable to the battery.  It seemed to help, only for a while though.  It kept getting worse.  Oh, and the check engine light came one sometime during all that.  One day it wouldn't start at all.  So I saved up some moneys and took it to Digg's Automotive.  They replaced the muffler and dealt with the check engine light.  They said the only thing they could find why it wouldn't start is the shifter was a bit loose and wasn't correctly in park sometimes.  So they tightened it.  It seemed to help, only for a while though.  It did run a lot quieter though thanks to the new muffler.  One day it wouldn't start at all.  So the other day I messed around with the battery cables.  It started beeping, telling me that it had some juice.  Still wouldn't start.  It started raining so I quite messing with it and went in the house.  This evening I messed around with the battery cables some more.  I took apart some connection thing that was really dirty and blew it out.  Cleaned it a bit.  Got the keys and it started right up.  Turned it off, turned it on.  Turned it off, turned it on.  All is well now.  Yea!  I'm not even a mechanic and I fixed it myself.  I think those cables and stuff need replaced though because they are shabby and dirty.  At least it won't cost a lot to get it truly fixed.

I am not camping.  The whole church went on the first annual camping trip.  I have to work so I can't go.  I did ask to have off about a week and a half ago, but it didn't happen.  Oh, well.  I need the money.  There was another guy working in the kitchen at the time that I asked off.  He didn't show up for work after a couple days and is no longer working there.  So we are back to just Justin, Glen, Chef Todd, and myself in the kitchen.  So maybe that is why I couldn't have off. 

Last night I went to Jammin' Java to see As Tall As Lions.  It was pretty good.  Tears of Mars and The Dialogue played as well.  Coming back I got stuck in a traffic jam due to roadwork on I-66.  I almost forgot how nice it is not to have to drive on I-66 to school all the time anymore.

It seems that I like "strange" music.  Music that hardly anybody else knows of.  Underground, indie, local music.  I have known this for a long time, and I like it.  Lately I have been taking some of my CDs in to work to listen to.  Hardly anybody there knows of the bands.  I was playing The Appleseed Cast the other day and Ross said, "Who is this?"  I said, "The Appleseed Cast."  He said, "Ah, which CD?"  I said, "The new one, Sagarmatha."  So I think he knows of The Appleseed Cast.  Cool.  Today I took in Embodyment, Beloved, Project 86, and Blindside.  The Embodyment CD had ended and I was getting ready to put on another CD.  Justin said something along the lines of, "What do you have? *looks at my CDs*  No Pantera, Tool,...American rock?"  I said, "Nope, I like music that hardly anybody knows of."

Currently Listening

Happy Birthday Denison
by Denison Witmer

Now what to do today? I was supposed to go in to work at 5:00 pm but Chef Todd called a while ago and said that the Bistro will be closed tonight because the dish machine is shot.  Yes, it is pretty much shot.  It has been messed up for a while.  I guess it got too bad this morning to even try to deal with it, so I assume that he is getting a new one replaced as soon as possible.

What else has been happening besides work? Um, pretty much nothing. :(  I went to a show at Jammin' Java last Thursday.  Saw ill Angelic, along with some other bands that I didn't care too much about...Escape the Armada, According to Plan, and The Potentials.  According to Plan was ok.  The other two not so much.  Ill Angelic made up for it though.  Me likes them.  Got their brand new CD. (:

I am now done with school.  Yes!  All I have to do now is complete the academic check-out.  That shouldn't take very long.  One day when I have off of work I will go to Stratford and get that done.

Speaking of work, a lot has been happening lately.  The people at Napoleon's fired this one guy because he was creating havoc in the kitchen.  The dude knows his stuff but he just needs to chill out sometimes.  I liked him.  He knew his stuff and I was learning some stuff from him.  He is a great pastry chef.  Anyway, so now he is gone.  The people at Napoleon's asked me if I wanted to start working there full time.  I said I would have to think about it.  After thinking, praying, and talking to some people, I decided to quite Napoleon's and work full time at the Black Bear Bistro.  Sorry Napoleon's.  I liked working there.  It was nice.  You treated me well.  I hated to have to choose between the two restaurants, but it had to be done.  Working two restaurants was starting to wear me down.  They are now looking for my replacement and when they replace me I will be full time at the Bistro.  Like I said, I hated to have to choose between the two, but it had to be done.  I liked working at both places, but I guess I like working with Chef Todd at the Bistro more.  He told me a while back that if I stick with him, I can go places.  That was a big part in my decision.  Plus he is a very nice guy.  Yes, he gets on my case when I mess up and take too long to get stuff done, but it's for the best.  I know that he is pushing me to get better.  He said that when he lays off of me then that's when I know that I have stepped up and am doing a good job.  That's what I like about him.  He is patient yet firm with me.  That's what I need right now in order to get better.  I probably wouldn't get that if I had stayed full-time at Napoleon's.

New CD from Blindside come out early next year.  Oh, yea!  It will be epic.  Now that I have seen Project 86, Blindside is on the top of my list of bands that I want to see live for the first time.

So as of three weeks ago I started working at a second restaurant in Warrenton.  The Black Bear Bistro.  It is nice.  You should come check us out.  The address is 34 Main Street.  I am still working at Napoleon's.  That is going.  Just going.  People have been quitting.  Chef Todd quit to go start Black Bear Bistro.  Justin was tapped to take over control of the kitchen.  Him and Allan fought a lot so he (Justin) quit last week.  He is now working at the Bistro.  Haha!  Kitchen drama.  Napoleon's sure had that.  Supposedly there is a guy starting today at Napoleon's who is to be the executive chef.  We shall see how that goes.  I work there tomorrow and then go work at the Bistro in the evening.

I have three weeks of school left and then I am done.  Yes!  Can't wait.  Graduation will be in December.

I like this CD a lot.  Matthew Perryman Jones.  Very good musician.  I saw him on the Ten Out of Tenn Christmas Tour last year.  I want to see him at a solo show.  The problem is though I am so busy working at two restaurants that I hardly have any free time.  No time to go to shows.  This is not good.  Well, I guess it is good for the paychecks but not good for going to shows.