About a week and a half ago, my former co-worker Vince just happened to be stopping by the shop to say hi. In talking about cars and stuff, he mentioned he would love to have an 08 STI if he could get his hands on one for a good price, and was even already talking to the local dealer about buying one. Since finances were on my mind, I mentioned to him that I wouldn’t mind if he took the red car off my hands, which of course would ultimately make us both happy. After about a week of figuring out all the details, we finally closed the deal yesterday

Both Vince and I are very happy with the situation. He’s got a car that’s only a set of fuel injectors, GT52, and a good tune away from 400 whp, and I’ve got a bunch more money every month that will help pay down my debts. Everything made sense and I firmly believe this was the best decision for me. Plus, if I’m able to pay down my debts now, who knows: maybe the new Subaru version of the FT-86 will be in my future come 2011! So, if anyone feels sad about it, please don’t. The car is in great hands with Vince, and I’ll be more than happy to live vicariously through him, especially if he decides to do the turbo upgrade and perhaps more in the future. To Blaze, I bid adieu…it was good times while it lasted, but thankfully we definitely won’t be strangers.

• Health care reform that results in affordable health care for all. And by affordable, I mean preferably free, paid for by the same taxes that pay for our police and fire departments, since we’re all in this together. People shouldn’t be filing for bankruptcy and/or dying because they can’t afford health care, period.
• I think I still want this Lowepro SlingShot 350 AW backpack to replace my current one.
• All my debts paid off, w00t!
• Winter tires for the red car might be a good idea.
• Russell needs to win Top Scoob.  A car with an STI motor and drivetrain swap and pretty much nothing else should NOT be winning.  There’s nothing special about that car whatsoever…no style, poor choice in coilovers (D2, really?  Their logo is a knockoff of a Vodafone logo in Europe for god’s sake), and no originality either.  This is a clear example of why NASIOC can really suck.
• All the dings taken out and the front bumper repainted on both the M-Thrizzle and blue car.
• UW Huskies and Seattle Seahawks hoodies or jackets in purple and blue respectively.
• Seahawks tickets!
• Take the Sonics back from those Oklahoma City lamers.
• Something to replace my die hard AMD Athlon XP 1500 1.29 GHz desktop running Windows XP Pro on 480 MB of RAM. When I build a computer, I damn well build it to last, and this thing is still chugging along, albeit very slowly. That’s one of the good things I took from my past life at the HFS Helpdesk.
• Big turbo, injectors, fuel pump, engine management, and a good tune for the red car. It looks so good but desperately needs some soul to back it up.
• Definitely wouldn’t mind a Nikon D700, but then I’d also have to get a Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 and a Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 to replace the DX lenses I’d be selling. The Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 is pretty badass too, except for the fact that I won’t be able to use any lens filters with it. My Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 would have to stay on my current D300 unless I found a compelling reason to switch to the new version of the same lens.
• M-Thrizzle’s seats reupholstered. They were pretty worn when I first bought the car, and now the leather is even more worn. Probably want to fix the slider adjustment on the driver’s seat while we’re at it.

Well, that’s a pretty nice and impossible wishlist! Once again, happy birthday RJ…and with that, I’m off to bed since it’s already way too late.

I turn 30 years old this coming Saturday the 10th, and I’d have to say that it’s definitely made me think a lot about my life…where I’ve been, where I’m going, and my own mortality.  I’m sure for some people who’ve turned 30 it didn’t really matter so much to them and it was simply just a number, but for whatever reason, I’m the complete opposite.  I’m not quite staring into a dark emtpy abyss that is the rest of my life, but it’s more like simply feeling very uncertain about what lies ahead.  It wouldn’t necessarily be called fear, but it’s definitely some sort of anxiety.  Much of this anxiety doesn’t even apply directly to my life, but more the people around me, such as my close friends, family, and parents. Then again, some of this also stems from the aforementioned group of people putting pressure on me in different ways. On top of all this, there’s the simple fact that the age of 30 in my mind equates to being a “grown-up,” and I’m not quite sure how I feel about that just yet.

When I was 4 years old, I started Kindergarten, and I was young for my class, which would continue throughout all of my education.  When I started high school at 13, I felt good about being older, since I wasn’t a kid anymore.  When I started college at 17, I was growing up to be a man, but I was still young and stupid.  When I graduated from college, I was definitely a bit lost, but now I was a legal young adult.  When I graduated with my Master’s, I felt like I could take on the world.  Now, feel like I’m starting a new chapter with my life, and all of the more childish and foolish things are behind me in a way, or maybe they should be.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like more “grown-up” problems have been affecting me, and turning 30 is just symbolic of that.  The first of these concerns is financial.  We live in a tough economy right now, and while I’m still living rather comfortably (relatively speaking), all that could change quite easily over night.  Just recently I came into some money thanks to some photography jobs, yet I felt the need to hang onto it rather than spend it like I would’ve a year ago.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all, but it’s definitely become quite a concern of mine.  I know that I have quite a bit of debt to pay off, and I’d like to do that as fast as possible.  Ideally, I’d like to buy a house (especially given how the housing market is these days), but with my current debts in the way, I don’t think that’s going to be possible just yet, which of course annoys me.  I feel like it’s time to leave the nest (after all, I’m turning 30!), but I just feel held back by my financial obligations, so it’s a bit frustrating.

Let me be clear though that it’s definitely the financial obligations holding me back, and not my parents.  I love my parents very much, and I know they don’t mind that I’m still sticking around.  However, they’re not going to hold me back if I truly decide it’s time to move out, and I’m thankful for that.  Nevertheless, even my parents are a bit of a worry too.  They’re not getting any younger either, and I feel like I should be the one taking care of them now, rather than the other way around.  Hell, my father is still working part time even though he’s retired just to keep the bills paid, and that doesn’t sit well with me whatsoever.  Plus, as they get older, the more things like medicine and check-ups become more important.  This puts the whole health care issue into the forefront for me, thus I’ve been keeping tabs every day with how health care reform is going.  I feel very strongly about health care reform and it frustrates me that many people within the powers that be are either against it or are trying equate the idea of freedom and choice with capitalism.  I can rant on and on about it (and maybe I still will at some point), but with my father being a heart attack survivor, both my mom’s and father’s side having a history of heart disease and high blood pressure, and close friends and relatives of mine fighting and/or surviving from cancer, and many of my relatives working as nurses or doctors, health care is a HUGE deal to me, and is definitely one of the more “grown-up” concerns I have.

This of course brings me to yet another one of my “grown-up” concerns: my own health.  When you think of someone in their 20s, you typically think of someone that’s young and full of energy, however weight has always been an issue with me.  I lost a bunch of weight back in 2004 through hypnosis and will power alone, but as my job became less active and more desk-oriented, sad to say I’ve gained it all back.  I’ve tried to go to the gym and I still try to work out at home early in the morning, but I still can’t quite get over the hump I need to.  A lot of it has to do with motivation and eating habits, which of course comes down to straight-up will power.  On top of this, I’ve figured out that I really don’t like running at all…it makes my knees and ankles hurt and I really don’t feel good afterward, which sure doesn’t help my motivation either.  I’m not quite sure how to help myself here, but I do feel a bit lost, and I’m definitely not getting any younger. All I know for sure is that with my family’s history of heart disease and high blood pressure, I really do want to avoid any complications as I get older by acting today.

My health and weight of course directly tie in to what my mom’s been pushing at me:  finding a wife. Being overweight brings down a person’s self-confidence more than some people might think.  It’s only natural and instinctual to be attracted to a more fit and healthy body, and our society as a whole continually pushes that forward.  Hell, I myself am guilty of it, but at the same time I know full-well how it can affect my attractiveness to the opposite sex.  I used to be very bitter, but I’d like to think that I’m much better about it than I had been previously.  Nevertheless, I’m still pretty picky, and while my father fully understands that, my mom still jokes about finding me a wife back in The Philippines.  I usually would just shrug this off, but as I said earlier, my parents aren’t getting any younger, and I really would like my own kids to have their grand parents in their lives, since that’s something that my brother’s family has and it’s something that I only partially had.   However, I definitely know for sure that I’m not ready for kids just yet, much less getting married, but at least a few dating prospects would be a good start.  Shooting 3 weddings this year hasn’t really helped things either…haha.  Oh well though…I consider this to be a minor issue compared to the other things I’ve mentioned, so I’m content with just leaving it as a minor concern for the time being.

The whole point of all this rambling is that I don’t feel like I’m in the place I want to be right now with my finances and my health, and turning 30 has just shed light upon all this.  Plus, turning 30 has made me feel like the youthful chapter of my life is coming to a close, and I won’t be able to do some of the things I’ve been wanting to do.  I guess that pretty much just sums it up for now, but don’t be surprised if I have another urge to post something again before my birthday.  Otherwise, please feel free to comment.