Wednesday, September 19, 2007

In response to inquiries about living conditions...

Yes, I have gotten a few questions about how two people and two dogs residing in a green subaru actually works out scematically. Well, wonder no further, dear reader. Here are your answers with visual aids:

First of all, I provide a base example of the green subaru. This really isn't a fair example of car living, because I am the only person in the car. I include it mainly because it looks cool driving through a creek. When was the last time you drove your SUV through a creek? The other thing that makes our wheeled home look like it means business is the "THULE" Topper. Wes and I spend a lot of time arguing about whether or not it is pronounced "Tool-ee" or "Thool" (rhymes with "drool"). You may laugh, but these things are important if the word is printed on your house. Whatever its name, it holds everything from dog food to a tool kit to a yoga mat to a bunch of stuff we forgot we put in there but is wrinkled beyond recognition.
This is a file photo of my two-man tent. "Two-man" translates to "one small person in a thin sleeping bag," but it was a pretty good deal when I got it a Midwest Mountaineers a couple years ago and it does its job proudly.



Sometimes, it rains for days on end and we have to find a place to dry the tent before we can roll it up. Otherwise, it will get the Thule all moldy.



Even though my little tent has served us proudlly and never leaked, Wes decided to give Scotchguard some business. This was the result. Now the tent STILL doesn't leak, and it looks like a grizzly bear drooled all over it.

Once the tent was all drool-y (rhymes with "Thule"), Wes used it as an excuse to make his power play for a FOUR-man tent (translation: two-man tent). He claimed he wanted the extra space, but I think we can all see he wanted a dog door.







This is the Subaru's backseat. As you can see, the kitchen is on the driver's side, and the laundry room, passenger.










Constant source of hair and smells, the dogs and their rancid sleeping bag hang out in the back. Sometimes Toby climbs to the front to have a look around, smashing everything in his path and liberally distributing dog hair to the front seat.



I know it's all fairly extravagant, but we have managed to drag this palace thousands of miles in the last 2.5 months. We're now employed and looking for less mobile conditions, but I think we'll probably take our good sweet time. You can see why.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

"For Sale By Owner"


By being an owner, you have proven only one thing: that you can BUY an item. You have absolutely no qualifications, WHATSOEVER, in sales. Do not delude yourself. Pay people to advertise. Hire a broker. Talk to a lawyer. Anything! Just trust me, you don't know what you're doing.
"How can you be so sure?" you ask me. Because I'm trying to buy your stuff, and YOU are stopping me! That is not the goal of sales. Please talk to a professional.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Still looking for an airplane...

We're in Fairbanks, where we followed a great deal on a Maule M-5. A friend of a friend recommended a great mechanic (don't think we don't use all those random names you give us of people you know in Alaska). The great mechanic did an inspection and we decided the great deal wasn't as great. The maintanence on the plane for the last 10 years hasn't been what you would call "Four Star", and we are as four star as two people that live in a station wagon with two dogs can get. The friend's mechanic was so great, he didn't even keep the wrench that had been left in the engine of the "great deal" aircraft. Back to Craig's List... more deals await...