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I've owned Ford, Chevy, and GMC trucks. I almost added Toyota to that list.

Today we traveled 2 1/2 hours out into the country for a 2013 Tundra offroad package with another space to stash the kids in the back. I went so far as to take it for a test drive.

It seemed to be good so I greenlit its acquisition—until the dealership wanted to take me for a ride. See the day prior, we haggled it down to one price over the phone and did all the manager authorization nonsense—even confirmed it later via text. So we left this morning at 5:30 AM to catch them at 8 AM opening. Well...

...long story short, we walked out shaking our heads. I actualized that the "your word is your bond" stereotype of the Southern, small town just ain't in these millenials. Guess their folks never passed down good sense. Shoulda swatted more rears when they was little. But, I knew everything I needed to know before their creative juices kicked on: they gave me a truck to test drive with a big ol' low fuel warning.

But, it is a good day. The night before, I was totally on the fence regarding its purchase and gave it considerable thought—fell asleep at 10:30 PM for my 2:30 AM morning! See, shoving over a chunk of our savings while diminishing our future saving effectiveness each month for the next 4-5 just makes me bristle—I'll be 50 before it's paid off!! Sure, there's a YOLO quality to it all, and having a truck around again would be USEFUL for all of these house projects. What pushed me over to going out to see it was that I knew its financial impact would make me a budget zealot regarding follow-through (even now, I check stuff every day and update accordingly).

Yes, I wanted a truck to both have the capacity for projects and the option to take the kids out in a class context and just for fun.

Well, solving the kids thing is easy: just use what we have. Now as to the indoor/outdoor DIY, there are other options than paying for a $300/month truck. I could map out my projects for the next 3 months and rent out a truck/van for an hour or even an entire day for just a fraction of $300. In fact, I could grab the truck and spend the remaining $900 on what I would have spent on the projects themselves!

I'm also drawn to purchasing a newer model of the Dodge Grand Caravan. With its 2010 model, I laid flat a sheet of 4x8 plywood inside, something that mighty Tundra cannot do. I suspect that with a jig, I could stack 12' 2x4's inside of it.

"But, Bill, what about the Cool Kid factor? You don't want to roll up in a minivan!"

It should come to no one's surprise that I don't have my identity in that sort of thing. You will NEVER see me drive one of those rigs with the lift kit for I've got testosterone in spades; it's so much that I'm looking for its blood bank equivalent to donate to those weeny-wristed men!

(Hey, I do have 99th percentile Neanderthal DNA coursing through these veins. Unless I'm plowing through a T-Rex, I don't need a 4x4—this ain't Alaska.)

No, I by far—I mean by a RIDICULOUS amount more—prefer the smart over the pretty. If it's just an identity thing, save yourself a barrel of cash and buy a comb.

Another takeaway I had when driving that Tundra: the thing is TOO bulky. It's 9-13 miles to the gallon just to carry its fat. I want to lose weight, not gain it! And that metaphor extends over into my use of GNUCash. Optimize your body; optimize your life.

On other matters, I totally broke out with cackling laughter after watching this 30-second clip: No Time for Caution, Mr Frodo.. Now that's one truck I would get behind...

It's now the third day in a row where unmarkably I woke up early and beat my 2:30 AM Garmin wakeup prodding. This morning as I prepped to teach biology, I was reminded of many years ago when, as a 14-year-old, I studied in the pre-dawn night for my own biology class. Conforming to those early mornings was far more difficult back then! Today? These pre-dawn hours are a fertile field for thought.

For my geography class, I've got a video to show: Noah's Flood and Catastrophic Plate Tectonics (from Pangea to Today). A long time ago, I recognized that the Earth is not billions and billions of years old, but is roughly around 6,000.

On a related note: this gave me chuckles this morning at 2:55 AM:

Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense?

Proverbs 17:16, ESV

So, it's another bread day this morning. I started fashioning it together at 3:15 AM and pulled it out of the oven right at 6.

I must have established 2:30 AM, 'cause for the past couple of mornings, I beat my alarm clock by a handful of minutes. While my workout plans remain on the drawing board, I do love the depths of the night to write...read...plan...be. It seems when that ol' pesky Sun rises, the Things to Do are Devil's Snare, those grasping vines in Harry Potter's race to reach the Triwizard Cup

I have made the principal purchase of 2024: a black, genuine leather ESV Super Giant-Print Bible for $66. This tome is 5 lbs and 7 oz! I haven't had a Bible that heavy since I lugged my parallel Bible (KJV, NIV, NLT, NASB) up to the Ugly Mug and later Republic Coffee on Madison (2001-2004). I've been wanting to buy a new Bible for myself for several years now as I haven't wanted to study from my parents' Bibles and just made do with a phone/tablet/PC solution.

I have yet to check out its durability, but its font ought to hold me to that July 2061 target. It's something to think about: is this my last Bible? And by extension, which kid might seek it? I "stole" my Dad's Bible as Mom was getting re-married after his death. To my knowledge, his notes written in the margins are the only surviving words of his. Imagine if the length of your life was over and the only artifact that remains representing your thoughts are the highlights and annotations in your Bible.

May I leave such a legacy of emphasis.

2024 is going to be something special: a year of vitality and imagination.