A new car

So this past Friday, I signed away my financial freedom for the next few years and bought a 2006 Pontiac Solstice convertible. Yeek.

But before you go thinking that the lives of small-town newspaper journalists are all glitz and glamour, there's some things you must first consider.

For instance, instead of driving my new cherry red coupe to a penthouse suite, I'm driving it to my parents' home where I live rent-free (God bless them). Hey, you save where you can, right?

I also make short movies, which are sold to Web sites like Break.com and ebaumsworld.com. Some of them have been featured on national television. It's like a second job, pretty much.

So no, I'm not selling blood on the side. I don't have an abdominal scar from when I bartered one of my kidneys on the black market.

...but seriously, donations can be sent to davidallen@shelbystar.com.