Oddly enough… a pro-life message:

“After 24 days… the baby’s heart is beating.”

Use the embeded widget below to search for gas prices in your area.

Road rage lead to 1 dead and 6 injured in Seattle Tuesday.

Sometimes simply giving the middle finger and letting them cut in front of you might just save your life.

Inside the mind of cop who stopped you…

That’s when things can get exciting — or as the case may be, dangerous. “If we get a felony tone, we generally wait for backup,” explains Greg. “And when the second officer arrives, you approach the car with your guns drawn, pull them out of the car, search the vehicle, handcuff them and take them in. Because if someone has a felony alert, you need to be prepared that they are ready and willing to break the law and maybe take you out.”

Car sinks after woman mistakes frozen pond for parking lot.

It’s been an interesting week around these parts. With the break-in to my car that resulted in a stolen laptop… to missing a back window in my car during a rainy week in Seattle… to a hillariously funny (yet highly embarassing) story from work that I will gladly tell for the rest of my life. Sorry for the crappy posts and crappier questions… it’s just been one of those weeks.

I should be back on my blogging feet next week, which is good… because it’ll be a slow week at work for most of us.

I’m heading to pick-up the next generation of Howell laptop today. Rest assured it will be fitted with a series of locks-n-chains, which will then be attached to a state-of-the-art fanny pack. Next time, the theives will have to take me too.

Alright everybody… enjoy the weekend.

Last night, my car was broken into and my laptop was stolen.

I was en route to a party and swung by a freind’s apartment to pick them up. I went upstairs, and within 30 minutes… in broad daylight… in the middle of safe Seattle, someone knocked out my backseat passenger-side window, grabbed my black laptop bag (with my laptop, journal, and Bible… yes, Bible) and made off without anyone noticing.

These things happen, folks.

If you know me well enough, you know that my laptop is my baby. It’s the first thing I grab in the morning aside from my Bible and my… well… nevermind. When Katrina hit Mississippi in 2005, I could only run 2 items off our battery… I opted for the TV and my laptop… leaving me without a fan.

My laptop was my baby. From Mississippi to Alabama to Seattle… when I was jobless without a car, I still had that freakin’ laptop.

But it’s just a laptop… and there are thousands of people all over this world who only wish their greatest concern today was a missing laptop.

Luckily, the majority of my photos were backed-up in another location. My iTunes library can be retrieved in a moments notice once I get a new computer. However, random items were not backed up… and they are gone forever.

If nothing else, let my experience be an encouragement for all of you to swing by Best Buy today and grab an external hard drive to save all of your info.

The Howell Family Curse of the Cars never seems to end.

Probably my favorite bumper sticker to date. It read:

“Bumper stickers don’t change the world.”

Seen the other day:

“If God didn’t want us to eat animals, then why did He make them taste so good?”

I’ll be driving back to Seattle today in my new ride, a Chevy Equinox. I purchased the the automobile last Wednesday from Dad.

It’s a looong story, but I’m having to drive back through Mississippi en route to Seattle, so I won’t be taking the same route as last time. This actually gives me some sense of superstitious relief. I’ll travel through Mississippi to Louisiana to Texas to Oklahoma to Kansas to Colorado to Utah to Idaho to Oregon to Washington State. I have no idea how long it will take to get there. Chances are that I’ll encounter some snowy weather along the way, so that’ll slow things down a little bit.

This is a drive… and not so much a vacation/drive as the original trip back in August. So don’t expect much of a tour guide feel to any of these blog posts. I just hope I make it out there.

It’s snowing in Seattle, so I couldn’t have picked a better time to pick up an SUV. Ahhh, a car! You truly don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.

This has been one of my favorites over the last couple of weeks.

When you drive 2,600+ miles you vist a lot of gas stations. Which mean that you buy a lot of junk food that you don’t really need… but you really want.

Question:

What are the best snacks and food that go best with a road trip?

A humorous bumper sticker I spotte while driving around UDub yesterday. It once again reminds me that I’m not quite as surrounded by that many looney treehuggers and freaky liberals as many might believe.

The sticker read:

VEGETARIAN
An Old Indian Term Meaning ‘Poor Hunter’

NOTE: The title is a line from a conversation on the Cosby Show between Cliff and Oliva. She wants ice cream…

And so, today I bid farewell to my beloved Pontiac Grand Am. I started working at age 16 to help buy this car.

I purchased it from Bynum Automobiles in Fayette, Alabama one afternoon in the Spring of 1999 just before graduation. I loved everything about it. The way it handled.. the incredible stereo system…. everything. I loved it.

I pulled around to the gym after school to see what people thought of me ditching the beloved Ford Bronco II and snagging a less-than-Alabama-boy-like white four door sedan. Lindsey Cunningham told me she loved it… Bethany Burns followed with, “It doesn’t suit you.”

Love you too Bethany.

It drove like a champ for more than 7 years. I had to replace an alternator twice. I got in one finder binder (not my fault). It drove 156,000+ miles overall. But it had handled way too well for way too long. This week’s result were inevitable.

So now I look back… getting slightly emotional — at a car which holds so many memories on

I took it to college.

I took it to graduate school.

I took it to Smith Lake nearly every night of the summer for 5 years straight.

I took it to 15 states.

I took it to countless collegiate formals, dates, and swaps. (Gosh… I was a studmuffin) Sorry.

I spotted it from Google Earth.

And just a few months ago I broke 150,000 miles.

I love my Grand Am. It handled like a champ. It will be missed. I wish I didn’t have to sell it this way… but that’s life. The unexpected always comes unexpectedly (quote me on that).

Now comes the task I thought wouldn’t come for a few more months: picking out a new car

I feel like I’m flirting with a hot chick right in front of my ex-girlfriend… so we’ll save the “new car” talk for next week.

Good-bye Grand Am. You will be missed.

I officially sold my car this morning via telephone at 7:15 AM. I got what I expected, which is quite alright. I depart as soon as I type this… and check my Facebook.

Thank you to all of you for the help/encouragement over the last few days. Even to those of you who seriously said, “I mean, I’ll drive up there and pick you up if you need me to.” It made me laugh… and you were actually serious, which made me happy.

Sometimes I think God just likes to mess with us to see how we react. I really don’t know what to make of this situation right now, but if someone learns from the mishappenings of myself… then I feel like all of this was worth it.

960 miles to go. I’ll spend the night in Spokane, WA tonight bofore I drive into Seattle tomorrow morning.

Have fun watching college football everybody!

First, let me give a big thanks to my Mom and Uncle Jerry for their help Thursday.

Second, the Grand Am is no more.

A timeline of the worst most eventful few days of my life. The situation in which I joked about with many of you before I left… well… it actually came through. It doesn’t surprise me either. My car has worked perfectly for 7 years… it was just a matter of time.

If you want the highlights, just forward to Thursday.

Please note: Just to give you a grasp of how “middle of nowhere” I am… I’m in a town with a population of 15,000 people. The closest town to here is 98 miles away. There is only 1 gas station between here and there… and one town with a population of 3,900 people.

Tuesday

9:30 AM : My car sputters as I leave the motel heading for Devil’s Tower.

2:00 PM : I pull over in Gillete, Wyoming [Population 19,000] to get an oil change and investigate the rumbling engine. My car overheats but the mechanics tell me that it’s just “bad gasoline” that needs to be burned off.

4:30 PM : I pull over for gas in Sheridan, Wyoming [Population 15,000]. My car begins to overheat. I decide to get a hotel room and get it fixed in the morning.

Wednesday

10:00 AM : Every auto shop in town informs me that the earliest they can help me is next Tuesday.

12:00 PM : I take my rumbling car to the local Pontiac dealership. The car dies at the door… literally. They tell me they might be able to help me today… then change their mind 30 minutes later as it is a busy day. We believed that the low coolant was the issue. So, I stock -up on coolant and hit the Interstate.

I leave the dealership at 12:45 headed for Montana.

1:00 PM : My car breaks-down two miles down the Interstate. I let it sit for a while to get just enough juice out of it to get it back to the dealership. This is the last time I would ever drive my car (I’m sad. I’m being seriousserious.).

1:30 PM : I decide to leave my car at the shop, hoping that a slot will open the next morning for them to check-out my car.

2:00 PM : I get a rental car from Avis.

2:30 PM : I get to see some buffalo and elk in a downtown park. I could not feed them… there was a fence… and a sign… that said “No feeding the buffalo or elk.” Dang it.

Thursday

9:30 AM : I recieve a phone call telling me that: “You’re engine is fried.” Gone… a used replacement will cost $3,500. Not worth it for a car with 156,000 miles.

I have to find a way to get to Seattle.

10:00 AM : I am told by Avis and Enterprise that they do not rent their cars one-way.

10:15 AM : I am told by U-Haul that the smallest truck they have is ginormous. A 24 foot bohemuth. I only have a few things… renting this sucker is going to be pointless and cost me a fortune.

10:30 AM : I think I want to purchase a used engine… Uncle Jerry says that would be stupid. He’s right. I just wasn’t thinking at the time.

11:00 : I inquire about leasing a vehicle for a few months… but they only do it for a minimum of 2 years. Leasing sucks anyway.

11:30 : I inquire about possibly purchasing a vehicle. I soon realize that to process the money/paperwork I’ll be here through next Tuesday. Besides… there isn’t anything worth buying here anyway.

12:00 : I’m told that there is a rental car here in Sheridan that needs to get to Gillete (backwards, 98 miles) where there I will find a rental car that needs to get to SEATTLE of all places. Nice, eh?

I am forced to pay a full days rental fee ($65.00) for a car I drive for an hour and a half. But hey, I got a car.

1:00 PM : Because I didn’t hit anything and the car problem is a “mechanical failure”… I am told that my Progressive Insurance will not cover the damages. Ouch… but the truth-be-told, the Pontiac was only worth $1,200 at this point anyway.

2:00 PM : I call “Mr. R’s”, which specializes in purchasing used automobiles for spare parts. They want to buy the Grand Am.

I think of it as an automobile form of organ donation.

5:00 PM : I return to the dealership currently housing my Grand Am in Sheridan. I clean it out and crank it for the last time. I revved the engine one good time as it mustered up just enough juice for a nice vroooooom! I turned of the car and watched it shake as it embraced the fact that it could drive no more… at least with the busted engine that was her heart.

I’ll be honest… I got a little emotional saying good-bye to it. Make fun of me if you will, but there’s something sad about leaving a car you spent you college and first “adult years” driving around the country.

I’d planned on purchasing a new car within the coming weeks… but not like this. It’s one thing to make the decision as you still have your car. It’s another thing to know I’m gonna be forced into it next week.

God is good, especially in the bad times. Some good reflection time is sure to follow in my 960 mile drive over the next 36 hours.

So… my car overheated due to some “bad gasoline” which in turn caused some minor problems which are changing my travel plans majorly.

I’m still in Sheridan, Wyoming [Population 15,804] which is the self-proclaimed “#1 Western Town In America.” Long story short, I’ve snagged a motel room for another night and I’m hoping (fingers crossed) to get out of here sometime tomorrow afternoon.

This means no Yellowstone. Which, actually, is ok with me. I was looking forward to it but really wasn’t going to have enough time to do all that one needs to do when visiting the National Park.

Today my car literally broke down at door of a Pontiac dealership. However, there’s much to be grateful for…

Sometimes you just gotta make due with what life throws at you. I’m good for now. Just hoping to get the car fixed before Friday (PLEASE Jesus!).

Out.