We booked our honeymoon!
03
Jul

Last night we booked a Carnival 5 day honeymoon cruise! Here’s our trip itinerary:

  1. Saturday, Dec. 13th: Leave from New Orleans at 4PM on the Carnival Fantasy
  2. Sunday, Dec. 14th: Fun day at sea
  3. Monday, Dec. 15th: Arrive at Progreso, Yucatán
    1. First Shore Excursion: Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins (Details)
  4. Tuesday, Dec. 16th: Arrive at Cozumel, Mexico
    1. Second Shore Excursion: Atlantis Submarine (Details)
  5. Thursday, Dec. 17th: Fun day at sea
  6. Friday, Dec. 18th: Return to New Orleans port

Right now i’m so excited I can barely stand it. This is going to be an awesome trip! Since we decided to book it on this date, it was very inexspensive (off season). I could see taking many more cruises in the future at  these prices.

The next thing we have to do is get our passports. As of right now they are not required for water/land travel, but in 2009 that law is changing. We figured we should go ahead and get them now (and have less hassle later).

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Moto Madness p2
30
Jun

We’ve completed painting the motorcycle. It’s now a “fire pepper” red color. It’s similar to the Toyota MR2 red color. It was a huge upgrade for the bike. Originally it was a bright, lime green, with two white side panels. The white panels are now black. (Still need to take pictures…)

In other news, i’ve purchased a helmet, jacket, and gloves. Here’s my photoshopped image of what it all should look like together:

Motorcycle Gear

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Moto extreme
20
Jun

So Mark and I purchased a learner motorcycle (pics to come). It’s a 200CC single piston, United Motors, dual sport bike. It looks like a dirt bike, but has a real VIN and is street legal. We have to get it tagged and insured, but let the motorcycle learning begin!

My eventual goal this year is to own a Buell XB12X. A big plus to all of this is that Bonita is very interested in the possible trips and adventures we can take on the bike. We’re thinking our first trip is going to be the Natchez Trace. Taking pictures, visiting all of the stops, and camping along the way is our immediate plan.

Who’s down?

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Car for sale
18
Jun

We are selling Bonita’s Pontiac Bonneville. If you or anyone you know needs a car, let us know!

Cars.com Ad

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Weekend Wedding Wrap Up
09
Jun

This past Saturday (6/7/08) was Rob and Karen’s wedding. It was a beautiful wedding at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Jackson. I was one of Rob’s groomsmen, and the duties included: Seating people, making sure the bride doesn’t run away, reading a verse from the book of Corinthians, keeping Rob from jumping out the window, and generally just looking good ;-) .

Pictures can be seen on my Flickr account.

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I can never think of a clever title…
03
Jun

The car is still running well. There’s almost 100 miles on the engine, with 65ish of those on the second oil change. I’m down to half a tank of gas, so I think today i’m going to fill it up with 93. The mixture of 87 and 93 should put me somewhere around 90 octane. After i’ve filled the tank with all 93 we’re going to adjust the timing again (it’s a few degrees retarded now).

In other news, the scale showed 218.5 again today. At least from last week to now i’ve maintained. Yesterday I ate about 97% healthy. So far today i’m on good track again. Once I stay on track for a couple weeks I should see a scale change. I need to start measuring again, that is always the best way.

I’m going to set a goal publicly: 210lbs by July 1st. That’s 2 pounds a week, I need to start busting ass. I just set a reminder in my blackberry to remind me every day. Hopefully that will help.

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It’s running!
01
Jun

After many hours of work yesterday and a lot of nervousness, the car actually started. I’d like to give a huge thanks to Mark, Jake, Rob, Allen, and Adam. Everyone helped out in some way (no matter how big or small!).

I have pictures uploaded to my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dingodingo/

More to come!

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Life updates!
27
May

I typically never post anything besides car updates here, but today I think I’ll go through the big “life and recent changes” post. I’ll try this in sectional mini-posts first.

1) This Sunday we had Rob’s bachelor party. It turned out a lot better than I expected, and Rob said he had a blast. Thanks to everyone who came and bought tools/gadgets for him. I don’t think traditionally you bring presents to a bachelor party, but I wanted to do things a bit different.

2) I changed cell service providers, and got a new phone: Blackberry Pearl 8130. It’s definitely the best device I’ve ever owned. Having internet access everywhere has been quite a shock. I find myself using a lot more web tools to get things done and find information. I also signed up for twitter, which slowly but surely I could find myself using more and more, and checking friends updates.

3) I’ve been around my current weight for a few months now; 217-219 lbs. on average. I think I’m finally ready to make the change and keep going. I’ve felt more motivated today than I have in some time. In fact, I’ve felt a little blue over the past week because of it. Now I’m over that, and ready to bust ass. It’s time to make some sacrifices, and hop back on track. I’ve come this far from 280 lbs., I can go on again. I am going to make a “Weight Loss” category on this blog, and try to keep up with it more.

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Engine updates
27
May

Last night, Rob and I went out to the shop for an hour and a half on a whim. In that time we put on the last couple of parts I was waiting for (Drain cock assembly, oil pressure switch, oil pan banjo bolt), as well as the transmission.

Using the engine hoist to hold the entire assembly, with the motor propped slightly backwards on a board, proved easy to align the transmission and get the bolts threaded. At this point the motor is ready to go in the car! The engine should be sitting in the car in the next couple of days. After that, I can start connecting the hoses and the rest of the wiring harness connectors.

So far I think this is the worst part. I have a few things running through my mind: Will it start? Will it break? Did I forget something major? At this point, each new item I attach on the engine or transmission is just one more step to that critical moment: Turning the engine over for the first time….

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Project update
20
May

Yesterday I purchased camshaft seals, oil pressure switch, spark plugs, and two cheap oil filters. The seals and switch were overnight delivery (via Advance Auto). The cheap oil filters are for the break in process.

Last nights installation included:

  • Spark plugs
  • Transmission side oil galley plug
  • Flywheel
  • Clutch + pressure plate
  • Painting the oil pan and touching up the block

Tonight’s install will be:

  1. Cam seals
  2. Cam seal cover caps
  3. Cam gears
  4. Setting TDC for both cams and distributor
  5. Cam covers
  6. Crankshaft timing gear
  7. Main crankshaft pulley + crank key
  8. Timing belt
  9. Timing belt tensioner
  10. Maybe transmission…
  11. Maybe install it in the car!?

I’m scared.

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