Autumn in State College is always interesting. This time, the crows came to poop all over the cars, make a whole lot of noise, and cause people to pull out their cameras.

It's been about seven years since I bought the drums. Drum heads have been changed. Sticks broken. I've had an original set of Zildjians since I learned to play back in 1996 that are still in one piece, still going strong. The set that came with the set seven years ago has started to crack. Not only that, my double bass pedal had its first major failure with a seized universal joint.

More pictures inside...

I knew it had to have been a stone falling. The sensation is unlike anything else. It wasn't really pain this time as much as just an internal ache that would occasionally cause me to twitch or spasm as it spiked in being uncomfortable for a split-second. It's a small one and passed without much problem. I was able to work all day through it without noticing it much so that's good.

Slowly, the Cannondale has been getting updated parts. I snagged a used bike seat for $5 and a kickstand for nothing. The original kickstand had to come off to fit the new rear fender. But due to age and road salt, its mounting bolts snapped in half and well, that was that. The new kickstand fits well...although the damage to the paint from the road salt and rust is obvious.

Just a little hot.

There was a lot of chance for extra credit in the class. The teacher was really good, always eager to help and actually felt like he was there to teach us, rather than just earn a paycheck. Java was fun, although difficult to really go deep into it in a six week class.

I just realized that my chair shipped with non-matching arms. The left arm is from a different model. There's no white stitching and it's of a different leather.

I found myself spending a lot of time sitting in front of the computer now that I'm taking classes again. There's a lot of programming to be done in a Computer Science major. The previous chair was older than I am, I'm sure, and far more uncomfortable than any chair should ever be. Behold, my new chair.