I'll start this off with a set of pictures I took in May of this year. I wrote this and got everything done, but for some reason I didn't upload it to my site. Bizarre. Anyway, here's me writing three months ago:

As I write this, I'm flying back to Detroit from a weekend in Memphis. I was in town for Amanda and Mike's wedding. It was a great trip; I got to see good friends from Perth that I haven't seen in a year and a half.

I arrived in Memphis to horrible weather. Thunderstorms in the area had spawned tornadoes and flash flooding. I think most of the damage was in Arkansas, just to the west. I also arrived in the middle of Friday rush hour traffic.

I stayed at an Extended Stay Deluxe. My room had it's own kitchen and a huge handicap bathroom. The room was enormous -- about the size of my first apartment.

I had quite a bit of free time on Saturday morning and afternoon before the wedding. I decided to use that time to add another state to my list of states traveled to. I drove on over to Arkansas, about a 25- minute drive from my hotel. I think this makes 34 states that I've been to.

Not too far outside of Memphis and the landscape is desolate.

These roads are straight and flat. I was driving a bit over the speed limit and whizzed by this sign. I slammed on the brakes and cut my speed to about a third of what I was previously doing (which was still too fast for a speed bump) and waited for the bump. I never hit one. Turns out somebody that must live nearby was sick of people like me flying down their road and decided to stop it. Pretty effective, although as soon as I realized the trick, I was back up to cruising speed.

As I was driving through the middle of nowhere, I managed to pulverize a bird. Witness the carnage.

How was I doing all this driving, you ask? I rented a car. Yes, you can rent cars at the age of 22. With my U of M employee advantage, I didn't even have to pay the underage fee. I ended up renting a Chevrolet Impala -- a terribly average car. I liked it just fine, and it was a nice rental, but I don't think I'd ever buy one. Faced with the choice of red, white, or silver, I picked red. Fast!

I came across this abandoned old building just off of a dirt road. Quaint. Crooked.

After heading back into Tennessee, I managed to take a nice little tour of Memphis. This Unitarian church is right on the bank of the Mississippi River.

Some of the downtown Memphis architecture.

I liked this hotel -- very midcentury.

If you thought you recognized it, you probably did. It's the Lorraine, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot.

That wreath marks the spot where he was standing when he was shot. Interesting piece of American history.

There is some pretty Victorian architecture right near downtown. This house was converted to a museum in the 1970s.

I also made it to Mississippi, but, if you can believe it, I didn't see a sign marking the state line. How did I miss it? I don't know. I looked for one on the way back and saw only a small "entering Tennessee" sign on my side of the road. There wasn't anything to mark that people were entering Mississippi. Therefore, no picture.

-Austin

And now that that's over, I'll include some more recent pictures.

Probably the biggest change for me is that I have moved. I'm living in an apartment in downtown Ypsi these days. I'm by myself, which I am really enjoying. I love the apartment. It's a large one-bedroom with a great view right over the street. I have a balcony above the storefront below. The balcony is a wonderful place to sit and read, drink some wine, relax... no complaints.

Also, I got a motorcycle. After taking the rider safety course in June, I hunted the area for a decent bike. I ended up picking up this 2003 Kawasaki Ninja. It's a blast.

Since I'm driving the Ninja every day, I'm selling the Miata. It doesn't make sense to have a car that's only good in warm sunny weather AND a bike that's also only good in warm sunny weather. Granted, I'm driving the Ninja no matter what the weather (rain or shine, 55 or 100 degrees), but I figure it's a good idea to replace the Miata with something a bit more practical for the snow. Too bad. I still love the car. In any event, this is one of the pictures I'll use to advertise it on eBay.

I'd like to think that Carly would enjoy rides on the back of the motorcycle, but Mandy doesn't seem too hot on the idea. I figure once her feet can reach the passenger footpegs, she'll be good to go. Whether she can ride or not, she sure looks cute sitting in the saddle.

Speaking of Carly, did I mention that she can crawl? She's crawling all over the place nowadays, which means that it takes a LOT more work to watch her. She's almost to the point of climbing up onto furniture, which means that Mandy and Aaron's glass coffee table is now taking up room in the basement. We all knew that was going to happen sooner or later.

One last shot of the motorcycle, I promise. This was on the drive home from Mandy and Aaron's house that night. Click the picture for a larger version.

Chronicling (yes, it's spelled correctly) life in Ypsi is a project I've given myself. Here's Andrew grilling up some burgers for dinner.

Caddy with the gold teeth.

Sam poses on my bicycle.

Showing off his wheelie skills.

More action! This is all everyday life, I swear.

On my drive home from work. The serene picture is a stark contrast to the hectic, frenetic state of traffic on Packard Road.