Where Have I been?

[Sportymonk]

Sorry its been so long since I have posted but two main factors, a carefree Pilot and work.

As for the carefree Pilot. Still driving the 2005 Pilot EX-L. Only issues at all is the leather seat on the driver's side is cracking badly but with the time and mileage and my weight (210) I'm not surprised. I currently have about 183,500 miles on it and need a new set of tires, brakes, and maybe the roters (?) turned. Still getting about 20 on the road. Other than that no problems (yes, I know, even as I type this things are falling off and exploding in the driveway outside!!)

As for work. I left teaching in 2008 and decided to open my own photography business, focusing on weddings, and maybe teach math / science at the local community college. As we all know, the economy went straight down about the time and I grabbed a job at Borders Books in Raleigh (50 miles away (a large part of that 183,000 mile figure). Went from Seasonal to P/T to FT with good health care. Love the work but the pay was blaah but the health care was great and I was waiting on my wife to finish her PhD.

Borders closed our store in April 2, 2010. Got on Cobra Health Care. Grabbed a job at AC Moore in Cary (60 miles away) but the health care for P/T was next to worthless and the only people not P/T are the store manager and the Asst Mgr. Stayed on Cobra. Quit that when I found a job a JCP on Rocky Mount. (8 miles away!!). But again P/T only except Mgr and Supervisors and P/T Heath Care is as bad as previously.) No chance of that situation improving. Stayed on Cobra.

Suddenly QVC called from local warehouse and offered a seasonal job 10 hours a day four days a week. ($10/hr, a pay increase for me) and I worked it out so I worked Sound - Wed at QVC and Thur, Fri, Sat at JCP (6 hrs a day). You can see it has kept me busy.

Lost Cobra benefits Dec 3st when Borders ceased all operations legally (18 months of Cobra only works if the business continues operation). So am paying individual health care for my wife and myself.

JCP has cut hours back recently (typical if you work in retail - Jan 15th through March are slow times) so I have time to get back with Piloteers.

For Photography I shot a wedding at Topsail Island in September. Photos at Rocky Mount Wedding Photography Raleigh Wedding Photographer HLD Photography LLC : Galleries : Weddings | SmugMug Had an accident in the Pilot on the way. Will post that in a separate thread.

So I am surviving and having in there. Glad my Pilot is so trouble free.

What are the current recommendations on a good (inexpensive) set of tires?

Sorry to be gone so long. (BTW just made my yearly post to Pilot vs Murano in Comparisons) Had my calendar set to remind me.

I am glad to be a part of Piloteers (still are my Honda Pilot.org t-shirt). You kept me going when I needed something to keep my mind off my problems a couple of years ago. Will try to come back more often. Take care.

[humanoid]

Nice to have you back, Sporty, keep your chin up and good things will happen when you least expect it.

[samc]

On the tires I plan to go with a set of General Grabber HTS ($120 a piece ~).
And good luck to you on your job situations, I am going through a similar perdicament but things will get better for us both.

Yes my pilot is also so trouble free that I say to my wife "our Suv is boring, there's nothing broken on it."