Oh wait! No complaining. That's right. Sorry.
Instead, I'm going to try to not have quite so much of a complaining spirit every time I write. So, I'll write just a bit about Bible Conference. Secular schools get a week off to play at the beach; BJU students get a week off to hear some really good preaching.
And I mean it about the "really good." I only felt like falling asleep during one service, and that was right after I had eaten too much for lunch. Also, every service had special music of some sort, and most of it was pretty good. This morning, a couple of guys sang "Almighty Unchangeable God," which I hadn't heard in forever. It was great.
And the messages were good too. We were supposed to hear Ian Paisley speak, but he couldn't make it. Some Irish political thing, no doubt.
That wasn't complaining was it?
At least that wasn't my fault. Anyways, I got it back on Thursday night, and it works beautifully again. It's really, really nice to have my own comfortable car back!
While we were at the dealership, Dad and I looked at some of the cars in the showroom. Dad had his eye on a convertible PT cruiser, while I was more intrigued by the Chrysler Crossfire. The coolest part: The spoiler retracts. (Look at the third picture on the top row). My only problem with it (besides a $35K price tag; my dad raised me to be a cheapskate. :-)) is that it's a European-esque car, which means that it's tiny, even for a two-seat sports car. Hopefully the new convertible version of the car coming out next year will be a little less confining.
I'll stick with my Seabring for now. :-)
Unfortunately, it's gotten sick. I was driving to the interstate to go home when the little temperature warning came on. Naturally, I pulled off on the next exit and bought an overpriced bottle of pre-diluted coolant and put it into the appropriate hole. I can also put more oil in; that's about the limit of my knowledge about cars.
I pulled out, and the temp. gauge had gone down just a touch, so I figured, problem solved! Then it went back up into the red zone. So, I figured, maybe it just needs a little while to kick in, and I go ahead and head home. The light stayed on for about 15 minutes. Then it goes out, the gauge hits the bottom half of the "cool" side, and the "service engine soon" light comes on. Well, sure enough, I'm past-due for my 3000 mile tune-up. I think to myself, "I'll have to take care of that."
At this point, I've just pulled off of the interstate. I stop at a light, then the service engine soon light goes back off, and the oil light comes on. I don't really have time to think about this, because when I step on the gas, I get about no speed at all. I pulled off to the side of the road, and steam starts to come out of my hood. Oops. Figures this would happen when Dad's on a business trip.
Several cell-phone calls (roadside assistance, Mom, who gets Dad to call me, etc.) and a tow-truck ride later, I'm picked up by Mom and go home. Soon, I got a call from the dealership: My water pump had gone out (so the overpriced gas-station coolant did no good), causing the "head gasket" to mess up somehow. I brace myself.
$1400.
Fortunately, my Dad was actually expecting it to be more, so he didn't kill me over the phone when I told him. (I have such a nice Daddy!)
Today's Lesson: Don't drive with the temp. light on. Ever. Just don't. It's expensive.
UPDATE: Oh, guess what? My ignorance magically transformed what should have been a $400 job (replacing the water pump) into a $1400 job. They say experience is the best teacher, but the tuition is so expensive!
1. What was the last song you heard?
Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All, the title track of the newest Steve Pettit CD. They play a sort of blue-grass-esque sacred music. It's great. Buy it.
2. What were the last two movies you saw?
Well... I just saw Dr. Dolittle (the Eddie Murphy version) tonight. And, as I blog, I'm watching Gold Through the Fire. It's not that great; I've never seen a really good Christian film. I attribute that mainly to practice; compared to Hollywood, the Christian film industry has only a tiny bit of experience. That, and Christian movies are entirely too concerned with preaching at the audience, rather than delivering a good story. When I want to see a movie, I want to be entertained; leave the preaching for Sunday.
3. What were the last three things you purchased?
The CD I mentioned, David Kincaid's "The Irish Volunteer CD," and lunch at BJU yesterday.
4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
Study for Bible Geography, work on Investment project, go to church tomorrow morning, and just relax!
5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
Mom, Dad, my brothers, and... Taylor, my little brother's best friend.
Let's have some fun with math! Assume that the 45% of American who plan to see it in theaters do so. And let's a assume a movie ticket is $8. And, according to the CIA, the population of the US is approx. 290 million. 290 million * $8 * 45% = $1.044 Billion. And that's just on movie ticket sales, to say nothing of snacks in the theaters, DVD sales, or other merchandise.
A little more fun: assume that the 31% who plan to see it at home and half of the movie-goers who see it actually buy copies of the DVD, at the bargain price of $15. 22%+31%=53%, 53% * 290Mil * $15 = another $2.3 Billion.
One more: According to Business Week, Gibson financed this thing with $25 million dollars. Now, I plug the numbers into my financial calculator (PV of $25 million, FV of $3 billion, 3 periods) for a quick-and-dirty return calculation of almost 400%.
You know, I don't think the real money is in the stock market.
(Via Dean Esmay)
I had an accounting mid-term, PR test, and a investment chapter review project today. Yesterday was full of preparation for the above. It's so nice to be able to sit down and relax, instead of sit down and study lists of facts.
::scene of luxuriating in a recliner with the laptop::
But, then again, what do they expect?
This is my room. It's a lot cleaner than usual. I was expecting company, after all. :-)
Found one of these while I was digging through my mailbox. Here we go!
1. LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATER?
Some IMAX movie. Both BJU rules and parental units forbid going to theater at the moment. Which is too bad; I'd LOVE to see Return of the King and/or the Passion of the Christ. Oh well; guess I'll wait for the DVD.
2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I'm taking a survey right now, silly! Really, I don't have much time for pleasure reading. I did just finish a couple of novels by David Weber that I had put onto my PDA. BTW, I *love* the Baen Webscriptions website. The files are downloadable in unsecured Rich Text format, which means I can do find/replaces on them and convert them to iSilo format.
3. FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
Hmm. I like Settlers of Catan a lot. The only thing I don't like is that there is no way to take over opposing cities/settlements. It's kind of a cool little empire-building game.
4. FAVORITE MAGAZINE?
Reader's Digest, mainly for the occasional original humor story.
5. FAVORITE DRINK?
Dr. Pepper
6. COMFORT FOOD?
Chocolate, I guess. It's great stuff.
7. FAVORITE SOUNDS?
A good chord in the middle of a good song. Especially if it's a deep bass chord. Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack has lots of these.
8. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
When you know you've done something wrong, and you didn't even try to stop yourself. Or, when you know you should have done something, but didn't. Kind of the same feeling, really.
9. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP?
I usually wish I had gone to bed earlier. I have to get up at 5:30 to get to school and have any chance of getting a decent parking space.
10. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?
I like Wendy's, Chick-Fil-A, and Pizza Hut, among others.
11. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME?
Haven't given it much thought. I like Sandra or Sasha, but they both sound like the Russian spy in a James Bond movie.
12. FAVORITE VEHICLE?
I love my car, a '96 Sebring convertible. It's the perfect color, dark green with a black top. If I couldn't have that car, I'd like to try a black or a silver Mustang.
13. FINISH THIS STATEMENT, If I HAD THE TIME I WOULD... sleep; write a book (but I don't have anything to write about yet!); go to Ireland.
14. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
No, thank you.
15. IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Black.
16. HOW MANY DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS HAVE YOU LIVED IN?
Greenville SC, Douglasville GA, and Spartanburg SC. 3.
17. GLASS HALF EMPTY OR FULL?
If it's Dr. Pepper, then it's completely empty. Otherwise, half-full.
18. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH?
Watching sports, IMHO, is a waste of time unless you personally know at least one of the players. So, my old high school's basketball games, but that's about it.
19. SAY SOME NICE THINGS ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU:
She's my mom! Great cook, and a lot of fun to aggravate. :-)
22. MORNING PERSON, OR NIGHT OWL?
Night Owl. If it weren't for my 8:00 accounting class, I'd sleep in 'til about 9 every morning and go to bed at midnight or one.
23. FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX?
My room, or my living room.
24. FAVORITE PIE?
Pumpkin, every once in a while; I like Hamburger pie too: A layer of Hamburger under a layer of mashed potatoes under a thin layer of cheddar cheese. Yummy.
Oh, look! That's the end of the survey!
Apparently, in Brittain, you have to have a license to watch TV. Color licenses cost 121 pounds, or $220 (US). Among the regs:
For students, if you live in a dorm and have your own TV, you have to pay for your own license.
Also for students, your parent's licenses don't count for you.
"Get caught without a TV license, and you could face a fine of up to £1000" ($1823)
Quote: "You may be asking yourself 'how will they know if I'm using a TV without a licence?' The answer is through a number of different methods.
"At the heart of our operation is the TV Licensing database. It has details of over 26 million UK addresses.
"Our officers have access to this computer system and a fleet of detector vans and hand-held detectors to track down and prosecute people who use a television without a licence."
And people think that BJU's rules are bad...