Dana has been on me for a while to get rid of my old Subaru.  Since she recently got a full time job at MS, this is much easier to do financially, so we started looking at a few cars more seriously.  It was a close race between the Lexus IS and the Ford Escape Hybrid.  The Lexus was fun and comfy (in the front anyway), and spoke to our desire for a "fun" car.  Plus, the turning radius made me dizzy (which was good, I guess :)).  The Escape was roomy, which was good for me coming from a wagon, and the ride was nice and quiet.  In the end, we went for the Escape due to it's utility (it can carry our new bikes), gas mileage (35 mpg right now!) and price (8K less than the Lexus, plus a tax credit this year).  The only annoying thing is that the hybrids are in such high demand right now that the dealerships won't do much negotiation (not even negotiating up for my trade in).  They offered $800 for my car, and currently we have a good amount of interest in the 3000-4000 price range, which is a large step up from their offer.

We'll post some pictures of the new car soon!  It's a deep blue with a leather interior, so use your imagination for now :)

While I'm in blogging mode...I finally installed Viata at home, along with some Live apps (including Windows Live Writer, which I'm using right now to write this entry...it's slightly better than posting in IE).  Overall Vista is treating me well.  I like the sidebar, app hangs are a little less crippling (or feel less so anyway).  I did add some new hardware to my comp, which is causing me to crash every 4 hours or so.  I suspect the video card (which is old, but may not be playing well with either the new motherboard or Vista).

I also set up a Windows Home Server.  It's basically a storage and automatic backup machine with really easy usability, so even intermediate computer people can use it.  We used Dana's old PC for it, with some cheap hardware upgrades, so it was a good value too.  Finally Dana and I will be able to merge our photos in one place!

At last I break my blogging slumber.  I was hibernating for summer (or so it seemed), but Arty called me yesterday with news that shook me to my very core.  I had a voicemail from him when I left work saying: "Josh, I was reading MSNBC today when I saw the news.  Who knows if they'll finish the series now."  What!?  What series could you mean?  I thought about TV series for a minute, and then it dawned on me that there is one old man holding the key to a series that is near and dear to my heart.  I searched frantically on my phone as I drove home for news, and finally happened upon the Wikipedia article for Robert Jordan.  "This article is about a recently deceased individual."

BLOOD AND BLOODY ASHES!  My demeanor is calm, my face practically carved from stone, but inside I struggle with anger as if it's the tainted male half of the Source.  I'm sure somewhere there's a woman folding her arms beneath her breasts, and tugging her braid (if she has one).

<following in true Jordan fashion, I would insert an amusing but pointless anecdote about Arty's shenanigans at his latest wedding reception>

People have been taunting me about this eventuality for a while, and I was really hoping the man would plan for his own mortality.  He wasn't too old (58), but he was no spring chicken and Wheel of Time was just *begging* for some closure.  Hopefully he kept detailed notes.  I will accept a finale written by others, if it resolves the story the way Robert Jordan envisioned it.  How will I know it's authentic?  I'm not going to venture further down into that nest of doubt.

I'm almost more sad that I won't get an Age of Legends prequel series either (at least not an authentic one).  Those teaser bits from Rhuidean and the like just kill me now!

I'll end the post on a good note, though.  Despite the rueful tone of this post, Robert (James), you spun a tale that I find intriguing and captivating.  You wrote the only series to date that I have read twice (8 books worth anyway).  Thank you, and may Bela carry you home.