8/12-8/14: Another Door Closes!

8/14: I had my last day today. It was pretty uneventful and a lot shorter than I anticipated! It was sad to leave. The girls got me bagels and a carrot cake muffin. Everything was fantastic. I will miss everyone dearly. My time there may have been short, but the days were long. Management tried to get me to stay on another week, but they wouldn't meet my terms. I have so much going on that, "it's a blessing in disguise," as a good friend told me.

I haven't written much the last few days as I've been tired (still not sleeping) and a little bit on the intolerant side. Endoscopy and Colonoscopy went well. Everything was normal, which is good and bad; it's always nice to have everything come back normal, but at the same time this leaves me no more closer to identifying the cause of my pain.

On the trip prep side, I got my inverter mounted for the solar system. I got all the hardware for the solar panel mount done. Unfortunately my friend got involved and thought it best to use an impact driver to fasten the hardware, so should I ever need to get the thing off, I'm not sure I would be able to. I am also concerned now that the metal is over strained. Its torqued so tightly that the metal brackets for the solar panel are now bent. Also I was afraid since I have the Nyloc nuts, if I reverse them out, they won't lock the same? I guess I should Google it.

I finally got a replacement credit card so I was able to get gas and place another order for some additional items for the trip as well as replacement items from the break in. I've been trying to figure out a solution to the stolen CDs situation and the impending silent road trip. Due to the way Subaru's stereos are mounted with the climate control and lack of after market parts for the auto climate control system; switching out the stereo system to a newer one that has an aux line is nearly impossible. I thought maybe I could get a cheap stereo with remote (under $50) and put it in my glove box, but right now the aftermarket easy clip in wiring harnesses would not be long enough. I've been searching for days for a cheap solution that is better than the FM modulator that you have to fuss with every time you drive far enough to go through broadcast zones (while trying to drive-not safe). What I've come up with is maybe re-burning some of my discs. I do have a whole spindle of blank CDs that I can use now that CDs are pretty much obsolete. I might also just have my computer speaker system mounted in the car and hook my ipod up to that, although I am not sure that 8GBs of music will be enough to get me through 3000+ miles, hence where the CDs come in. I hope my newly refurbished computer has a burner option; it wasn't high on my necessity list when looking for new computers.

While trying to figure out the stereo situation, I stumbled upon an idea to make more storage space in the car, or actually better utilize the space I have. There's room between the solar battery area and the bed, where the passenger seat was that I had planned on using as the cooler storage area. My idea is to put a few crates under the cooler so I can store stuff under the cool since I won't be using the space above it for anything (I'd block my view to my side mirrors, if I did). So I will store some of the things that I won't really need access to during my trip, but need to pack since I will need it prior to having my stuff moved out.

Pictured are my crate storage for under the cooler and sometimes YouTube makes it too easy to find the info to tinker with your car to "just

take a peak." In this instance was looking at the stereo situation!