My version of "Car Talk"

This is a CV (constant velocity) Joint.

A good CV joint should look something like this.

A bad CV joint will look something like the one on my '98 Infinity.

I love taking my car in for a routine oil-change and then being told I have a major problem - a problem that if not corrected will cause my front axels to break, leaving me stranded on the road.

...when will I learn that irritating creaking-noises may be a hint that something could be wrong...

It's Celebration Time

What's better than finishing up spring term by turning in my last paper on Cinco de Mayo?!

Finally.

It's been 3 years, but the house is finally gone. I wish I could celebrate, but it's difficult to be excited about losing so much money.
Relief on the other hand, is definitely in order. Now, we can finally start over and move on with our lives.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you who have prayed for us! And thank you also to those of you who lent a hand!
I don't know where we would be without all of you.

Our new place

Here's a picture of our new place from the outside.
As for the inside, my windows of opportunity for finding the place clean are minimal - with 4 people, it can get cluttered pretty quickly...

Because of a tight, winding stairwell, our furniture would not go to the 2nd story. So, we hoisted the couch and oversized chair up to the small overhang and moved it in through the window! We had about one inch of clearance on every side of the couch - talk about fitting perfectly!

there will be blood

Another movie must be added to the list below - "there will be blood"

Occasionally, I watch a movie and it stays with me for days. For one reason or another, I won't be able to get it out of my head.
"there will be blood" is the latest movie to consume me.

It's driving me crazy trying to figure out the movie and the main character, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), but it's not a movie that you "get." It's complex, it's mysterious. The film touches on capitalism, religion, and the depravity of human nature, and then it leaves you - no finality, no resolution, no meaning. You're left with only a haunting disturbance...

Without doubt, the best aspect of the movie is Daniel Day-Lewis' performance - He is reason enough to watch the movie.

Of course, it can be a rough movie to watch, and knowing many of the reader's of my blog, I throw a word of caution out there. But if you have a higher tolerance for disturbing content (it's more the nature of the film rather than the content), I highly recommend carving out 158 minutes to experience this film.


Also, here's an interesting commentary about the dark nature of several recent movies that have come out. It's short, but I thought it was interesting.
http://jviz.blogspot.com/2008/04/dark-movies.html

Troy's favorite movies of the last several months

I feel like I've seen a number of really good movies over the last few months. It's difficult to remember some of them, but here's a few that I won't forget watching:

- Into the Wild - loved it. Definitely up there in my all-time favorites list.***

- Juno - best original screenplay Oscar winner. I definitely agree.

- Lars and the Real Girl - The fall favorite at Mars Hill.

- Once - small independent film. Not your typical hollywood blockbuster, but it's a beautiful film (and it won the Oscar for best song!)

- No Country for Old Men - those Coen brothers never cease to amaze***

- Darjeeling Limited - Wes Anderson - he too never ceases to amaze. I would love to know more about this guy's life. It seems painfully obvious that he's been in therapy for awhile now.

- Gone Baby Gone - Ashley and I had no idea what this was about before we saw it (from the title, I actually thought it was about baseball). I won't give it away, but it was intense.***

- King of California - maybe not the best picture out there, but I loved it. It's simple and Michael Douglas was terrific.

- Fracture - Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling - this has been out for awhile. I don't know how it flew under the radar.

***If you're concerned about content, these films could definitely be offensive.

papers, papers, papers

This afternoon, I turned in my fifth of seven papers due this month. It's been exhausting, and I'm ready for a break...but I'm now over the hump!! I'll finish up a group project tonight, and then I only have 2 papers and one test remaining (which all happen to be in the same class - 60% of the grade comes in the last two weeks!)

It's crazy that I've almost finished my second term. Man, it's gone fast.