VA by Blood

As of April 13, I no longer possess a VA driver's license. With a history of recklessness, making trouble for the establishment, and a five year stint of a class B CDL, I had to surrender it. Unfortunately, the DMV ladies would allow me to keep it, despite my charming manner.
Along with the new license, ol' blue (seen here) got a little face lift as well. The old plates have been retired to my basement and she's now sporting a new plate. That's one difference between VA and WV. WV only requires a single plate be adorned on the rear of the vehicle whereas in VA two must be displayed.
The inspection was performed just a couple Saturdays ago. WV inspection stickers are displayed on the left of the windshield and no county of residence is required. VA, of course, repealed their requirement for county stickers just this year. Speaking of the inspection process, the fellow here had me sit in the driver's seat and put my seat belt on. That was something else I never had to do in VA.

All told, everything went smoothly. I've already got my permanent registration and WV title (oh, I had to surrender my VA title as well) and now everything is done.

The Rug That Ties the Room Together

Does it not?

Wiping off the Dust

Here it is the middle of April and I've neglected this blog. My birthday came and went, I got some awesome stuff, and my sister's offer was just accepted on a house. Exciting times. We've been busy here, too, which is mostly the cause for the decaying of this blog. We have also moved in and begun the task of unpacking. There has been a lot of progress, as well as the day to day operations here at the Bittner-Crissman household, plus a couple things on the side. Anyway, here are a few pictures of what's been put together thus far.
You can probably notice a couple boxes here and there plus some things not quite in place but hey, but it's a work in progress. The garage and basement are ongoing as well (no pictures yet). Tonight we tried to take the night off, although Kelly put a few things up. I had no problem with sitting on the couch, listening to music and writing in here. I've been pretty tired the last couple of days, so I took this morning off from the gym. I may do the same tomorrow...we'll see how the morning goes.

A First Meal of Sorts

Last night we had our first night meal in the new place. Although not as extravagant as some of Stash's, it was delicious nonetheless.
A classic that everyone can enjoy, hamburger helper couldn't be easier. And green beans, God couldn't have made a better staple...well maybe except for bacon.

A Helluva Ride

On St. Patty's of all days, I joined the rank of homeowners. Kelly and I closed on the house we put an offer on last October (crazy huh?). We've been busy ever since painting, putting up fixtures, and performing various tasks. We still have plenty of packing to do before the big move the first weekend of April, but it will pay off once we're in the place. Below are some pictures from last weekend of painting followed by a couple exterior shots.


More to come later...

Posting for Fun

So there hasn't been much blog worthy lately. The biggest news is the house we're about to close on tomorrow. I would've had more information about it earlier, but we've been waiting since last October (when we put the offer in). There will be more about that once we are actual homeowners. In the meantime I wanted to post a couple pictures of what I call cool incarnate.

Diaper Dan

About a month ago, I received the following envelop in the mail.
Upon opening, I found this:
Presenting "The Recreator," a periodical published in Blacksburg outlining the Parks and Recreation sponsored events for the year. On the cover however, is a picture of a man I know only as Diaper Dan. Now Diaper Dan is one of a few cartoon characters you only find at The Weight Club in Blacksburg. Granted, most gyms have their own entertainment during the day to day operations. DD was one for the record books. He showed up almost every day along with his sidekick Skinny Pete (who deserves his own post at a later time, and coincidentally is a more interesting subject) to work out only the way a hulking senior citizen can. From his wildabeast chest hair pouring out of his shirt to his ankle weights, DD never failed to send us into a fit of laughter with his antics. Most days you could spot him on various equipment with the appearance that death itself was reaching out for him. That's not to say he looked like he was about to crush himself. No no. Masochistically, he would pound rep after hilarious rep until the feeling made his head roll back, his eyes close, and his mouth open in silent shouts of utter discomfort. We used to joke it was his 'O' face for a big black guy named Steve. Anyway, did I mention the short shorts? Daisy Dukes were made popular in the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard. Ol' Diaper Dan (if you can't tell, Diaper in his name is synonymous for the Daisy Duke shorts) would show up 95% of the time in shorts so short your girlfriend would be jealous. And let me tell you, he did not have the legs to pull it off - a pale and hairy creature he was.