So dad's check came in yesterday, I deposited it. Today I spent the morning buying the truck and getting an insurance policy on it. I own it! I drove it home and everything. Yay!

As I mentioned before, it came complete with whatever crap the previous and now-dead owner left in it. So when I got home, I methodically went through every scrap of stuff I could find and sorted it into piles for "worthless," "awesome," and "rich creamy nougat." There were some things that I really don't want to keep, like his old snowmobile suit and cap... but then it came with some really cool stuff I wasn't expecting - like a nice set of binoculars, a 2-ton bottle jack, a good giant maglight, a toolbox with assorted metal bits in it, and another plastic box with all the stuff you need in case of car screwage, like spare oil, tow cable, bungees, funnel, work gloves, etc. Oh yeah, and under the blanket in the camper were two thermarest inflatable sleeping pads, valued at about $70 each.

I had the mechanics look at the truck on Monday and it came back with a relatively good bill of health, except it needs new brakes and some new fluids. I'm having them fix everything (except a new valve cover gasket that has to be ordered) on Thursday and then I'm taking it on its first real trip! I'm very very excited about this. Down to the guads and up into the jeep trails in my own vehicle for the first time ever. wa-hoot.

In other news, I got my MIT transcript in the mail which was the final missing piece in my NASA Astronaut application, so it's in the mail. Wish me luck!