Semi quick update

I figure that 2 weeks between posts is better than many, many months...right? Not too much has gone on since we all got back from South Dakota. It was great to see the farm again and to see Nikki. Work has been on the boring side these last few weeks. There has been NO weather going on and that makes for tough times when you work midnight shifts.

I did manage to get sweet talked into trading in and up...so I am now on Subaru number two. Was there anything wrong with that last car? No, but it did have a pricey maintenance coming up. I've been eying this type of car for a while:

Subaru Impreza WRX

The model I looked at and ogled over was the 2009 and 2010 WRX STI ....

Having a 2008 Outback Sport:

First glance...and I can hear you gripe... "That doesn't look any different" I can tell you that it is... aggressive body...aggressive stance...aggressive all over - including price. There was no way I was going to double my car payments (even though the car had about 200 more horsepower...a girthy turbo and gadgets up the wazoo). Then 2011 came around and Subaru listened to customers and redesigned the 2011 Impreza WRX. I was impressed but never really intent on buying - though I did my homework. I took the old silver bullet into the dealership to talk to them about the maintenance that was needed and got to talking about the new WRX (or Rex as it is called in the Subi world). Decided for grins to talk numbers - never really thinking it would happen...but #'s came out in my favor and I ended up driving away with a massive upgrade that is costing me about 30 more bucks a month... I absolutely love it. New 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX Limited.

So what is different? 4 Door sedan (or saloon as the brits would say) vs 5 door hatchback. HID headlights. 5 speed manual vs 4 speed auto (biiiiiig plus). Perky engine vs not so perky (this car isn't as nuts as the WRX STI is). Leather interior. Sunroof. Aggressive looks...wider body and blue color that you can almost swim in...I could keep going and going.  The only downside is that my gas mileage will drop about 1-3 MPG now...at least the numbers say that...but I am averaging more than what the spec sheet says. Needless to say...the drive to and from work is quite enjoyable now. So often people drive slow by the car to check it out or other WRX or STI owners flash their lights or give a peace/thumbs up to me (I also do that in return). In the subaru world - that is called Subi love.

Next stop this weekend is a trip to North Carolina to visit with a buddy that  I met in Anchorage at work. Expect another massive dosage of pictures forthcoming.

It's time for a return!!

I've finally gotten around to the point of posting something...and something neat. Time here has gone by so fast and I have done a lot of things, met a lot of great people and experienced a lot of new things. Since I've been great (read that as bad) with posting... I thought I would get back into it with another video. This picks up from where the Goodbye Alaska video ends...following my last days up in Alaska with the Browns in March... all of the way to last weekend with the family in South Dakota. I hope you enjoy it...and I hope to be a lot better with blog posts in the future now!!


Next Step from Samuel Shea on Vimeo.
It's been about 7 months since I've posted any pictures or videos. A lot has gone on since the move...and like the 'Goodbye Alaska' video... this will take you from the final days in Alaska in March - up through the end of September in Illinois/South Dakota.