Some Thoughts on a Prius

I've been considering hybrids ever since they arrived on the market, so I was excited to drive Jay's new Toyota Prius this weekend. After having driven a Prius and a golf cart, I can say that they handle about the same. However, I prefer the golf cart for both speed and reliability.

My Quarter Life Crisis

Those of you who have seen me lately may know that since my birthday I've been going through a quarter-life crisis of sorts. I've lived a quarter of a century, and what do I really have to show for it other than a bunch of prematurely gray hairs and a growing collection of ex-girlfriends? I haven't been to a doctor in over two years, but I recently discovered that, due to my age, my next physical checkup will involve someone probing my rectum. And things are only downhill from here.

Somewhat to my chagrin, other people my age are settling down, building nests, amounting mortgages, etc. I recently contacted a girlfriend from high school who told me that she is married with a kid now. When I dated her (almost 10 years ago!) she was captain of the cheerleaders. That's just weird. And a couple weeks ago an old chum called me at 3 AM from the hospital, where his wife had just given birth to his baby boy. I congratulated him through a lump in my throat.

But I was talking with a friend over the weekend, and she worked to comfort me somewhat. (She's 20, and she doesn't quite get any of this yet.) Here are the pros of turning 25...

I'm old enough to rent a car.

I am no longer considered a hazardous driving statistic, so my auto insurance rates should come down.

I feel about the same as I did when I was 24, but now the square root of me is 5.

I hate cake. And when you're 25 people stop numbering the candles on your cake. Instead, they buy two candles shaped like numbers (in this case, a "2" and a "5" of course), which are easier to light and less likely to drip wax onto the icing.

At least I still have half a decade before I'm 30.

So not all of it is bad, I suppose. I can't imagine what coming to terms with 30, or 40, or 50, is going to be like. Last time I saw my dad he bought some boardshorts with a giant Jamaican flag on the ass. I called him Rasta for the week. At least he's not buying a red Miata convertible.

The Mountains Win Again

DSCN0188, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

I just got back from visiting my grandparents' place in Glenville, NC. I hadn't been there in seven years, and in that time I suppose I forgot how beautiful it is... the sheer size of the land, and how completely silent it is at night. Papa and I cleared some trees and branches in the front yard to open up the view down to the lake.

Here's a closeup of the lake. You can see where the Smoky Mountains get their name.

(Click on photos to view full size.)









A family of wren built a nest in the flower basket next to the front door. When I got there, the eggs hadn't hatched yet. But when I woke up on Saturday I could hear the chirping of the little babies. The rest of the time I was there, the momma and poppa wren brought back worms, crickets, and little bugs to feed their hatchlings.

Here's a scratchy photo of the baby wren right after they hatched, mouths open for food.













Whitewater rafting... something I had never done before. We started out at the top of the mountain in freezing rain. Then the rain turned into a thick fog that rested for three feet above the rapids. And at the bottom of the river it was sunny again. I'm ready for class 5 rapids now. Unfortunately, I didn't get to keep that neoprene vest.





And Danielle gained a new playtoy in her big cousin. Following me around like a puppy dog, she invented a game where she would come up and poke me with her finger at random. After several hours of being incessantly poked, I figured out that if I poked her first she wouldn't poke me back. And a new game was born.

Little Sis Explains Big Apple to Hillbilly from DC

This weekend I was able to witness Lacey's new life in NYC in all its splendor. She lives in an apartment with no AC, no furniture, and spray paint on the walls. But it's great because it's hers. I had forgotten how much I love that city. On top of going out and listening to live music until 4am, the highlight of the trip was a two-hour bike ride through Central Park. We circled it twice. The park always amazes me in how tranquil it is, yet it's surrounded by the most condensed metropolis in the world.


Lacey and me on the Subway.








A photo op during our awesome two-hour bike ride through Central Park. The reservoir is my favorite place in the park. And I like the skyscrapers in the background.







Mojitos afterward.

In My Element

DSCN0122, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

I hope everybody had a great July 4th.

This is a photo of myself and Emmett, my uncle / surf instructor. I was in Jax Beach for almost a week sitting beachside, playing guitar, drinking margaritas, and celebrating my birthday with the family. On the last two days of the trip, a Northeaster hit and the water was huge. The waves were so big that they posted "No Swimming" flags up and down the shore. So, of course Emmett took me out into the water for a royal pounding.

I just got home, and now I'm packing my bags to visit the little sis in NYC. Even greater debauchery awaits me.