| Booklist 13 |
[Feb. 9th, 2010|09:06 am] |
#13: Blood Ties by Kay Hooper (F) This is the latest of her Bishop Special Crimes unit series - psychics who hunt serial killers. It ties together the strings from the last few in the series, which is good - but I'll probably re-read them now, to see how the strings were 'laid down', so to speak. A quick read, and a good addition to the series.
Besides getting ready for Kingdom A&S (re-trimming an old tunic with new tablet weaving) - I'm currently reading 5-6 ILL books. Unfortunately, my reading time is somewhat constrained, so I usually pick one and read it while waiting for the bus to and from work. This means I'm not very far in any of the books - but most are pretty interesting. So - pretty soon, look for a summary of: Medieval Southwark, Archaeology of Reformation, Monastic Burial, or Toys and Trifles. I've got until the 4th to get these all read.
To date: Fiction: 9 Non-Fiction: 4 |
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| Booklist 9, 10, 11, 12 |
[Jan. 31st, 2010|10:39 pm] |
#9: Tak V Bowes Departed by Elizabeth Benns & Gina Barrett (NF) This is a 15th century fingerloop braiding manual, interpreted and updated by 2 members of the Soper Lane re-enactment group. It's an autographed copy from when the book first came out - but a recent class on fingerloop braiding here made me dig it out (not that I attended the class - but it brought it to mind). The directions have been tested by the authors for completeness, and errors have been corrected. There are directions for 40 braids, some for single braiders, some for partners. I still need to pull out string and try it - but the braids look very pretty, and I've been told that this is a fairly simple method for making narrow wares.
#10: Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton (F) This is his last book, found complete after his death. It's set in the 1670's, when Piracy and Privateering were big business in the new world. Pretty straightforward adventure story - I'm not sure if it's based on a true story or if it's collected stories/myths/actual events from the time period. There wasn't the same sort of suspense as in others of his books, and no real 'curve-balls'.
#11: Care of Clothes by Jane Ashelford (NF) This is a very short book about how caring for clothes has changed since the middle ages. It was a companion to a museum display on the same topic. It has gorgeous pictures, although most are more Victorian. Very easy to read, and gives some ideas as to how things have changed - but I'm not going to give up my heavy-duty wooden hangers for garb, even though they are a 20th century invention as such. I got 2 other books by this author, who I've been told is an okay source, but nothing compared to Janet Arnold. That's okay - the pictures in the one on the 16th century are cool (the other one isn't what I thought it would be, so I'm not going to read it)
#12: Brainiac by Ken Jennings (NF) After trying out for Jeopardy this week, it reminded me that Jennings had written a book about his experience. It's a fun read, with some trivia peppered amongst the stories about various trivia outlets, both past and present. Heh - some I even knew before reading the answers! I'm glad I'm not that obsessive - but if they were to give me 'The Call' - I'm sure I could be :)
Now that my stack and a half of ILL books has started coming in: the NF to F ratio should improve.
To Date: Fiction: 8 Non-Fiction: 4 |
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| Booklist 8 |
[Jan. 29th, 2010|10:18 pm] |
#8: Ode to a Banker by Lindsey Davis (F) The latest of the Falco books for me - murder, intrigue, and Roman writing practices - lots of fun and an easy read.
I've got about 8 books currently from the library, both local and ILL. I need to finish a couple, and then I'll post a longer list.
To date: Fiction: 7 Non-Fiction: 1 (but more in the works) |
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| Just a little good news :) |
[Jan. 22nd, 2010|08:42 am] |
I went in to the clinic yesterday (since we do NOT need a 3rd horseman of the Apocalypse at this time) - and they did the weigh-in and BP: apparently, the reason my work clothes aren't fitting so well: I'm down 27 lbs since July! I've gone back under the 200 lb threshold, which I'm VERY happy about, and my blood pressure is 120/80, too. So - yay me! Of course, when you can't eat out easily, and you have to walk to the bus-stop, if not all the way to work every day - it does add up. I'm hoping the trend will continue, even after we get the Explorer fixed.
Speaking of that: based on our preliminary tax return data (still haven't gotten most of the W-2's, but based on pay-stubs): we were REALLY poor last year. (no surprise there!) Because of that, we get credits for working, and credits for the kids, and we don't owe much (if anything) in taxes. So with the additional credits, we SHOULD make enough to get the Explorer fixed and pay off more of our debt. This will put us in a MUCH better situation.
Just thought I'd share the optimism today: 2010 is looking up for us! Thanks for all the well-wishes, good thoughts, etc. |
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| Booklist 6 and 7 |
[Jan. 19th, 2010|09:23 am] |
#6: Den of Thieves by Julia Golding (F) This is book 3 of the Cat Royal series (young adult). An interesting look at the beginnings of the French Revolution, as seen through the eyes of a 14 yr old English girl. A bit implausible, but adventure stories often need that 'suspension of disbelief' to work. A quick read, and there are hints of future relationship choices for Cat - with the ensuing problems that could/will cause. Enjoyable.
#7: Material Culture in London in an Age of Transition: Tudor and Stuart Period Finds C.1450-c.1700 from Excavations at Riverside Sites in Southwark (MoLAS Monograph) by Geoff Egan (NF) Absolutely fascinating book on excavated finds from London. This follows in the tradition of the Medieval Finds of London series, and uses that information for comparison in several of the categories. This book covers several types of finds, including mainly leather and metal artifacts. The first 5 listed finds are of slashed and pinked jerkin parts, similar to the one analyzed by Janet Arnold, for instance. There are lots of buckles and metal mounts, pilgrim badges (that survived even after the Reformation) and both real and counterfeit coins. There is also information about a virtually complete saddle, dated to the mid 1500's. I have further information about the saddle, but not the archaeological context material. And there's a multi-page bibliography, which has provided some ILL requests. This is a great addition to the Medieval finds series, and another good book from Geoff Egan - he did the Dress Accessories and Medieval Household books, as well as other 'Material Culture' books based on finds throughout England. Highly recommended.
To date: Fiction: 6 Non-Fiction: 7
After work, I'll write up my review of my fingerloop braiding book - although it may wait til I've actually tried to follow the directions for a simple braid, to see how easy it is to understand from a practical standpoint. |
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| More books - but is there more inspiration? |
[Jan. 13th, 2010|01:10 pm] |
I have almost finished my book on Material Culture (book review tonight, probably) - and it has sparked interest in further reading (as usual). With an ILL account, books aren't a problem - the only limit is the 10 request limit imposed by the library.
But I also re-looked at the bibliography at: http://www.archleathgrp.org.uk/ (The Archaeological Leather Group) - and have found some new pdf books to download, too.
So - the question now becomes: is there a project in this sea of information, or just mental mind candy? I'm okay with it, but I'm feeling 'restless' - like I should work on something. The fishing net is going (just started a new row) - but that is a project that will probably take the rest of the summer - and then there's the 'rest' of it: the weights, floats, actually fishing with it, etc.
But - I have more to keep my mind filled, so this is good. And I now have even more information on making a medieval saddle, if anyone is interested. Heh - except I can't figure out the bibliographical reference for one of the saddle sources, so I can't be sure I'm getting the right book. Anyone feel their Google-fu is up to it:
(Exactly as is - we'll see if I can get the italics to work): Payton, R, 1989 The stabilisation and conservation of a complex, composite object, ICOM Working Group on Wet Organic Materials 18, 3-4
I have found other ICOM books - but none published in 1989, so I'm not sure I found the right one.
But anyway - I do have more ideas, but nothing has gelled quite yet. Maybe I'll check other books we own but I haven't read in-depth. |
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| BookList 2010 - 4 and 5 |
[Jan. 12th, 2010|09:08 am] |
#4: Blood Game by Iris Johansen (f) Another of the Eve Duncan series - this one about serial killer who thinks he's a vampire. Interesting look at the super-natural, which was hinted at in other books. This is probably her most developed character, and it's interesting to see the development through the years.
#5: Larger than Life by Kay Hooper (f) Really easy fiction. It's a re-print from one of her earlier romances, before she got into mysteries. A very quick read, but good for the bus.
And - I finally started some 'serious' reading! We actually have research books that I haven't read all the way through, so I picked up the first one on the shelf - and DAMN, I wish I had read it earlier. I'm just about done with it, and I've already requested 7 ILL books based on the bibliography (and I already own several of the referenced books, too!). It's 'Material Culture in London in an age of transition' - the review will follow when I've finished the book - but it's very interesting. I think I could buy pretty much any book by Geoff Egan and be happy with the research - he's done the books on Medieval Household, Dress Accessories, the Meols, and other books that we own, plus sections in other books. Easy to read, but full of information.
But again - a full review when I finish it.
To date: Fiction: 5 Non-Fiction: 0 |
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| BookList 2010 - 2 and 3 |
[Jan. 7th, 2010|05:53 pm] |
#2:The diamond of Drury Lane : a Cat Royal adventure by by Julia Golding (F) The first of a series of young adult fiction about a waif left on the steps of the Drury Lane theatre in 1790's London. It's full of her adventures as an early teen during the time of the French Revolution (and the fear the English had that it would happen there) - along with class struggles, etc. Very interesting historical tie-ins, since the Theatre Royale was home to some of the greats in English Theatre of the era. Easy to read, but not a 'talk down' mystery. Enjoyable.
#3: Cat among the pigeons by Julia Golding (F) The second in the series about Cat Royal. This one involves the slavery trade, which the English were dealing with - not allowing slavery on the island, but condoning it in their colonies. A little more theatre, as well as glimpses of the early abolitionist movement and peaks into the private boy's school life, as well. Again - very enjoyable.
It appears that she has written several books in this series, as well as others. That's what the library is for, right?
Total to date: Fiction: 3 Non-Fiction: 0 |
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| BookList 2010 - #1 |
[Jan. 3rd, 2010|09:31 pm] |
New title - same idea.
#1: One Virgin Too Many by Lindsey Davis (F) The latest (for me) in the Falco series. Interesting information about the different religious practices in Flavian Rome - what is and isn't sacred, how priests are chosen, etc. Very different mind-set on religion than Christianity - but there are certain elements that obviously got transferred, too. Enjoyable (and read in 1 day)
Fiction: 1 Non-Fiction: 0 (new this year, so I can keep track w/o going over the list each time) |
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| Question to ponder: how often should a project be "re-visited"? |
[Jan. 3rd, 2010|09:18 pm] |
I've got several projects that I've done that for various reasons aren't 'perfect', by my standards. These are things that were good when they were made, but more research and better skills have made them look amateur to me. Some of them were experiments that fall under 'been there, done that, don't need to do it again' type things - while others are ones that I have either re-made, done more research on, or otherwise improved upon since the original project.
I'm wondering if I should continue to work on these 'already done' projects, or if I should try to find inspiration in new projects or crafts. I sort of feel like a 'one trick pony' if I continue to do the same thing in various incarnations - but each time I work on something, I gain insight into it.
As an example: I am putting the final touches on my How-To paper for Kingdom A&S. This is a rewrite of the how-to paper I entered into Pentathlon 2005: more pictures, more research, etc. This paper is based upon the scabbard I made for the same Pentathlon. THAT scabbard was based on the first incarnation, which was made in 2003 for Trimaris A&S. This means I've been working on and researching this scabbard off and on for 7 years. I have learned A LOT since I first started the project - but when is it 'Done'? Even yesterday, I figured out the probable order of decoration on the darn thing while taking 'step-by-step' pictures, so there are still things to learn. But I have 2 complete scabbards in this design - and I don't even have a knife for one of them! And I recognize the biggest limiting factor for making 'The ultimate version' would be learning a whole new skill-set in tool making - which I don't really want to do at this point. So there is no plan to make a third scabbard at this point.
Unfortunately, I see many of my projects as 'version 2.0' type items, rather than new and innovative. The fishing net, the leather pouch w/TW seams, and the scabbards are the obvious examples. And I don't want to be a 'one trick pony' - but what is the balance between 'mastering a craft' and 'resting on one's (metaphorical) laurels'?
This is one reason I miss the 'Pentathlon' set up: it forced me to think of new projects each time - and multiple projects. With Kingdom A&S here, only one static entry and one research paper are allowed per person per year. Which means I have a 'stock' of Pentathlon projects that I can 're-invent' and 're-focus' before I have to come up with something new and different. I found the Hallstatt piece last year as inspiration - but I don't think I will have time to make a new static entry for this year, so I think the How-To paper will be all. It has been very well received in the draft format, and it's new information to people here - but it's definitely not 'new and inspiring' to me.
Suggestions are welcome. |
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| The list 99 books for 2009 |
[Jan. 2nd, 2010|09:32 am] |
( 99 books for 2009 ) Totals: Fiction: 47 Non-Fiction: 52
Yea! I was more 'scholarly' than not! Of course, I don't have as much to to show for it, at least this fall. But I'm sure that will change. |
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| Bookchallenge - the end of the year |
[Jan. 2nd, 2010|09:25 am] |
I finished these last week - but was too busy to post. No 100 books for me, since I didn't count the all of the kids books that have been repeated all year long. However, if you added up all of the words in ALL of the kids books: they'd probably add up to one small paperback book.
#98: The essential gourd : art and history in northeastern Nigeria by Marla Berns (NF). Very interesting pictorial on Nigerian Bottle Gourd decoration. There were a few references to the Western world, although the focus was on the different groups in Nigeria in the 1970's. Beautiful pictures, mostly of a collection owned by UCLA. The book was the companion to an exhibit they did. Very interesting to see that gourds grown 1/2 way around the world turn out the same way as those grown here in Texas by amateurs. Same bottles, spoons, and bowls as we can get from our home-grown gourds - except for the BIG gourds - ours haven't grown that big.
#99: How the Irish Saved Civilisation by Thomas Cahill (NF) Very short, interesting book on how the fall of Civilization DIDN'T happen, despite the barbarian hordes. I can see why this became a 'mainstream' book - very easy to read, w/o laborious footnotes and other 'scholarly' notes. Of course, to the historian, more footnotes are good! But it brings out some of the lesser known facts about the Early Church, and shows the building blocks that helped Europe emerge from the 'Dark Ages'.
So there - the next post will be the compilation of the 99 books of 2009 (see - I planned it that way! Yeah, that's it). I think it breaks down pretty evenly between fiction and non-fiction, which is probably a good thing. Gotta keep balance, and all of that.
Then it's time to start the 2010 Booklist :) |
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| More updates - things should get better. |
[Dec. 29th, 2009|09:12 am] |
Well - we have a new babysitter, with a catch. She's Red's niece, and she's in Abilene (4 hrs away). She needs to get out of that situation, and we need a live-in sitter - so, the rescue plan has started.
Tomorrow, I'm going to take the bus to the airport and rent a car (the cheap places don't offer pick-up service, sigh.) Then - take Red to work and get some groceries. At 3, I go into work until 9 pm. At 9:01 (or earlier, if I can swing a 5 minute early leave) - I go pick Red up from work, drop him at home, and then eat, potty, and get COFFEE. Then - 4 hours up there, pack the car, more COFFEE and food, and 4 hours back.
If all goes well, we'll be back in time to drive Red to work in the morning, and then return the car to the airport, riding the bus back home. Then I have the day off work (New Year's Eve) to recuperate and sleep. Then - back to work on Friday, but off Saturday and Sunday.
Things are still very hit-n-miss right now - we're not saving any money, which makes it hard to figure out when we can pay for the car. But with a live-in sitter, we can actually take on more work, which can help. We will be getting 2 monthly bus passes in January - that will allow more trips farther afield. Alie won't have a car (at least at first) - but we'll see what we can do.
So - by the end of 2009, we're hoping to have a better plan in place for 2010. |
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| Bookchallenge 95, 96, and 97 |
[Dec. 26th, 2009|11:31 am] |
#95: Three Hands in the Fountain by Lindsey Davis (F) Falco at his best. It's an interesting thing to see the development of relationships/friendships/partnerships in the series. This one involves gristly killings, intrigue, and other 'fun' stuff. Enjoyable.
#96: Two for the Lions by Lindsey Davis (F) Falco and (new) Partner, on a new racket. Interesting information about the whole Games, with gladiators, visiting Africa, and the search for exotic herbs. While the last disaster was a little obvious - very enjoyable. I think the character Anacrites has grown on Falco (and the author) - which should lead to new adventures.
In all the Falco books, it's interesting to see the 'serious' research I've done come into play - the search for silphium was mentioned in the Roman cooking books I've read, for example. Very cool to be 'in the know' when reading the books.
#97: Man across the sea; problems of pre-Columbian contacts. Edited by Carroll L. Riley [and others] (NF) This book has information about the dissemination of the bottle gourd around the world (along with other crops). It's very interesting to read about possible ways plants were spread. Since the gourds have been dated in S. America to 7000BC, and the consensus seems to be that the plants originated in Central Africa - pretty neat stuff. They call bottle gourds 'trash heap' plants - meaning that one gourd picked up and discarded can take root and flourish. The gourds are also self-pollinating with diversity, so they can spread quickly. And experiments have proven that the hard shell of the gourd makes it possible that they floated across the Atlantic w/o ruining the seeds. The 3 put together make it possible for non-human intervention in the spread from Old to New. But - newer information suggests that genetically, the plants in the New World are closer to the Asiatic plants rather than the African plants. So - no definitive answers yet. Unfortunately, there was no information about European gourd use. But that's okay.
Hmmm ... 3 more books in 6 days? It's possible. I've almost finished the book with Nigerian gourds, which would leave the other ILL book, and then ... who knows? Maybe 'How the Irish Saved Civilisation' - it looks like an enjoyable book.
I'll be doing a tally of Fiction/Non-Fiction when the year is over. Getting hooked on the Falco series definitely bumped the Fiction quotient - but that's okay. |
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| Bookchallenge 92, 93, and 94 |
[Dec. 14th, 2009|10:28 am] |
#92: Time to Depart by Lindsey Davis (F) More Falco mystery :) An interesting read, in the best 'mystery formula' method. Fun characters, plot twists, and lots of research :) Enjoyable.
#93: Holes by Louis Sachar (F) This was on the shelf of 'Award Winning Books' at the library - so I picked it up. Very easy read - but not a juvenile book. Very interesting mix of 'fairy tale' as it relates to a modern situation. I haven't seen the movie - but I can see how that story could translate to the big screen.
#94: A Dying Light in Corduba by Lindsey Davis (F) Even more Falco. This one involves a visit to the Iberian peninsula. It's interesting to read a fictional account about olive oil and oil presses, after doing brief research on the subject. More twists and turns, as usual.
Next on the list: more gourd books. I have one on Nigerian decorated gourds that includes a quote from 1623 about the variety of decorations and uses of African gourds - so more historical documentation may be forthcoming. Not that every project MUST be documentable - but if it CAN be, better to find out early, I guess. |
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| A day that will live in infamy - the day I lost my sanity |
[Dec. 7th, 2009|12:53 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | stress | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | stressed | ] |
This has been the day from hell - and it's not even 1 pm yet!
First: We get a call from the car place - they can knock $400 off the total, which still makes it $1500 to fix the darn thing. Not worth it. Sigh. So now to negotiate the labor already expended, so we can donate it to charity or something. Or just drop off the title and say 'here, have fun with it'. BLARGH.
Second: Get a call from the school - Bean needs to be picked up. See number 1 for why that won't work. So the counselor and asst. Principal drive him home and have a discussion with me about what he did - kicking, and shouting, and spitting on people. They want to know what the status is on getting him in to see a doctor. The CHIP paperwork is in process, and Red's benefits don't start until February. We're still waiting to hear back to see if he will be in ISS, or at home as a result of this. BLARGH.
Third: Our babysitter is a total flake, and can't make it today. 'You didn't give me a schedule' - WTF?!? M-W-F is ALWAYS the same: I work at 2 pm. Because of the bus, it means I need the sitter here at 1:20. How hard is that to understand? But he just started an overnight job, and wasn't looking forward to watching Aurora during the afternoon before working a full shift at Wally-World. So - now we're looking for a new sitter. We have someone in mind - but it isn't ideal, because she also rides the bus, which makes some of the late-nights an issue. BLARGH!
Fourth: I can't go to work today. See number 3. This means less pay, a possible write-up, and other issues. If I can't find a babysitter for tomorrow, it'll continue. I really don't want to let my co-workers down at this job - but Red's job has priority, so if someone has to stay home, it'll be me. BLARGH!
The ONLY good news - after the visit with the Principal, I called CHIP. The application has been processed, and they're sending us a packet. We owe them $35, and then have to choose a plan. Hopefully, it'll get here today, and that can be taken care of.
With all of this stress and uncertainty, is it any wonder that I'm not in the 'Holiday Spirit'?
BLAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH! |
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| Bookchallenge 89, 90, and 91 |
[Dec. 4th, 2009|12:35 pm] |
#89: Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis (F) The last of the 'Metal' books about Falco. It's an engaging series - and a quick read, which is nice for the bus-stop and the bath.
#90: Last Act in Palmyra by Lindsey Davis (F) This one is particularly funny for a Theatre major :) I love his 'great epic' story - as well as the commentary on the merits of Greek vs. Roman theatre. I probably should brush up on the 'classics' of the theatre - it's been 15 years since I took my theatre history class.
#91: Footwear in Ancient Ireland by Lucas (NF) I finally sat down and finished it. The article is an ... interesting read, but very dry. It gives more quotes than I've ever seen - pretty much EVERY reference to shoes/socks/sole-less socks in relation to Ireland EVER. But it has good information. I'll have to compare his information to more current shoe research (it was written in the 1950's) - but his definition of shoes is pretty much the standard for those types.
I WANT a pair of the type 1 slippers - very fancy, and nicely early Christian era. More detail and work went into the earlier ones than the later ones. And they look cute! Dunno if I'd enter into A&S - Emeline did one of the other types last spring, and she went all out with gut and such - no sense in copying her, grin (unless I could tan up some calfskin before then, which is NOT likely!) But they'd be more accurate than the 'perioid' shoes I normally wear, and they're fancier than the type 2 shoes that are wearing out. It's an idea.
So - I don't know if I'll be able to make it to 100 books this year - I have more Falco to read, but work and no car is conspiring against us for free time.
But I do have a plan to go to the library on Sunday and pick up my books on bottle gourds, as well as my next mystery book. So who knows? |
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| The train won this round - now what? |
[Dec. 3rd, 2009|08:57 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | car | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | hopeful | ] |
So - the 1997 Escort is toast. We can't afford to put $1900 into a new transmission on it - it wasn't worth the money we have put in in the past, let alone this. So - Red is going to call and negotiate us NOT paying full labor charges (since we don't care if they put everything back exactly right, at this point) - and we'll be deciding which charity to donate it to on January 1. We'd do it this year, but we won't have made enough or spent enough on things to do more than the standard deduction on our taxes - so charitable donations won't matter. So wait til next year, and hope it helps us for our 2010 taxes. It's going to be either NPR or PBS - but not sure which, yet. It won't be worth more than the $499 donation - but it gets it gone.
Now the decisions - we don't have any working car at this point. We're still paying on the Explorer each month, so we can't do much with it, since we're still upside-down on the loan. Assuming our finances have stabled with Red's new job - we don't really have the money to do an additional car payment each month. This leaves us in a quandary. And at this rate, it'll be February or so before we'd have enough savings to pay for the new engine. It's possible we could trade it in (moving the 'upside-down' part to be re-financed with the new vehicle) - but what dealer would offer ANYTHING close to value to a vehicle that would need a new engine?
Red is going to look at getting a bicycle, which will help with the commuting issue - the bus schedule to get him to work is not the best, leaving him sitting for 20 minutes or more if he can't get out to catch exactly the right bus. The bus also stops running as often at night, which can be a problem if he has to close the store.
I can ride the bus to work every day - that's not a problem. A monthly pass is $30, and Red can use it too (if we're not working similar schedules). The only problem is getting off work at 9 pm: the bus comes by at 9:30, and everyone at work thinks it would be a BAD IDEA to walk over to the stop and wait at night in our neighborhood. I haven't tried it yet - but I hate relying on the kindness of co-workers for long-term, which this could turn out to be.
Unfortunately - we are NOT a bus type family - places we like to go (library, zoo, grocery shopping) will be difficult w/o a working car. This isn't mentioning 'extra-curricular' activities like SCA events, and such.
So - any and all good thoughts and suggestions are welcome. We're going to survive (we always do) - but it's very frustrating to be so close to getting back to where we wanted to be to be stopped by more vehicle trouble. |
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