Starbucks info Yeah, if you ask for a “regular,” you’re nuts, but if you ask for a “short” they have to stand and deliver. Grand!…er…Grande!

March of the Pengins does many things for you: Makes you thankful for being human Impresses you with the stark beauty of Antarctica Reminds you how fragile life is This is a wonderful film to share with the family, and became the centerpiece of a warm evening with Whitney, Joey, and I in front of the fire.

As I sit at my desk on a sunny day, I’m contemplating Murphy’s law, which states that whatever can go wrong will, at the worst possible time. :-) today, would seem like that day. I came in this morning to merge and commit some changes to the library, and then do about 3 hours of administrative/clerical stuff that needed to be done, helping out my programmers as needed. Yeah, about that… ...

I talk in my sleep. I didn’t know this until I went to college & I got a roommate. Up to this point, I didn’t think Whitney did, until… [interior] [my bedroom, 6am] Bella: mphrfhfhfhfhfh…chicken Me: Huh? B [mumbly]: did you take the chicken out of the oven? Me: Huh? B [annoyed, distinct]: Did you take the chicken out of the OVEN?! It’ll burn.. [I go to the kitchen and verify that the only think in the cold oven is the breadstone, then return] ...

With the MINI washed, detailed and snug in the garage, we’re now a one car family, and I can tell this is going to be fun :-) Getting me to work involves getting everyone out of bed, loading the car, driving me to work and them going back home. And, I’m not the best passenger in traffic. (Sorry, honey!) But the day did start off very well (); let’s hope it’s better than yesterday. I was in a real funk yesterday, thanks to my Mom, who’s convinced a used car is always “somebody else’s problem” in all circumstances. Since every car on the road is a “used” car, I disagree. Granted, some people take care of their cars, and some don’t but keeping things in perspective, no one needs more than a $4k-$8k car. Our Intrigue was in that range, and it’s a marvelous car so far. I’ve had AAA for three years now through work and it works. ...

Fark Link In 1984, the savings rate in this country was 10.9%, but last year that declined to just %0.9. If/when the economy hits the skids…yikes.

The rather depressing link The Pup, my one and only, my truest automotive love, my daily driver, my autocross mount, my introduction to all things BMW, is up for sale. Rationale I’m trying to cash-out the equity I have in it, pay off CC’s and Whitney’s Intrigue (“Sharkey”) and get something fun, but lots less pricey. Full coverage insurance + $600/year in property taxes suck. I really don’t want to begin the new year living AT my means the way I have been. When you’re a Dave Ramsey follower, and a Christian in general, there comes a time where you have to make hard decisions–decisions about following God and securing the lives of your family. ...

On the block today: One set of Mini wheels + race tires One highly over-functional cell phone :-) The race tires got interest within 10 minutes of being posted….

As I look out towards the new year, I just want to vent. I want to give voice to the few doubts and fears I have… I’m working at a company that doesn’t have much of a reason to exist, making mediocre products that my customers dislike more with each passing iteration, working on a new product that will either fail outright or never be used. Despite the above, I have a rough time relaxing this week…this car fever has me in its grip for two reasons–I’ve always wanted a BMW, but I love my MINI. I don’t love it more than I’d love being out of debt and in secure financial shape. ...

At my darling’s insistence, I went over to our doctor today to get my toe looked at; over Christmas, I noticed my middle toe on my left foot was ingrown on the right side. Today I got it removed, feeling very little pain thanks to some lidocaine. The rest of the day, I convalesced watching season 5 of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” my most excellent Christmas gift from Bella: ...

So, 9am this morning found me at Beechmont Toyota, looking at a 1984 318i with 173,000 miles on it. Yes, this car was made when I was in Kindergarten, here I was, trying to decide how much rust was acceptable on my new “project car” / Daily driver. Answer: Not this much. No way. The 1984/1985 318i has the same engine (BMW’s M10) as the previous 3-series and the 1970’s BMW 2002 (yes, it’s alot of numerical designations…please try to keep up). Anyway, this lump of iron produces a bulletproof 101 hp and likes to rev, despite its lumpy cam. ...

Sell the mini, keep the change, and buy one of these babies:

Sleep: Haven’t gotten much lately. Whitney’s gotten even less. I require ~6hrs / night to function…she requires more :-) Sickness: Apparently, I’ve given whatever I had to everyone in my area. Germs 1, Humans nil. * * * Thought…a nice used 5-speed toyota pickup would fill my current needs quite well :-) something to commute in reliable as dirt good for going to Lowes, getting firewood, etc. runs on regular gas ...

Link Does this make me a thief? A cheat? Immoral? …Or just a guy pretty deep in debt?

…that way I could get through meetings where I want to throttle my PM, keeping both hands as busy as possible.

Ah, the glorious cold virus…it’s been with us for millenia and for the last 3 or 4 days, it’s been with me. For the past couple of days, I haven’t been able to talk (and all the people rejoiced…) * * * Biggest, bombshell news of the past week is the revelation that the 5-speed British Midlands transmission in the 2002-2004 Minis is a ticking timebomb–after a certain amount of time the gearbox will fail, resulting in a $3-4k repair. The problem seems to be the gearbox was engineered for England, where it’s never much below 20 degrees F. In America we routinely see 0 degrees F and below. ...

Managers are like gamecocks: More than two in a room at once, and somebody dies. Be sure to begin each lie with the adverb: “Truthfully”. Arrive whenever you want, then derail the meeting by asking for an update Accountability? Hell, I’d settle for competence…

Let me give you the conclusion: The logs never caught, the kindling ashes litter the bottom of the wet fireplace, and the house reeks of smoke. Yes, I tried to make a fire tonight, and I failed. My house has what’s known as a ‘built-in,’ a fireplace that is basically an afterthought. Lacking a chimney, it’s a triangular wart, occupying the place my Lay-Z-Boy should rightfully go. Whitney has a cold, so I thought I’d build a fire and tend to her as she reposed on the couch. Lacking anything to use for firewood aside from our dining room set, I bought kindling at Lowe’s and wood at Kroger, for a total of $10. ...

Ah, I yearn for my firebrand, idealogue days, when being a Republican didn’t mean you parrotted everything that Ernie Fletcher & George Bush said. The days when I could hold my head high and say how much the democrats were ruining my state and my country. Ooops. The Republicans are doing just as badly. Amazing how the view from the top isn’t as clear-cut as the view from beneath. I ask myself why this is, and I return to what I thought in 2004: Conservatives can stomach a Liberal leader, but Liberals can’t stand a conservative, especially one as hapless as Bush. Why oh why didn’t we elect John McCain? ...

I made a resolution that I wouldn’t blog about my complaints about work, but that meant I stopped blogging altogether. Check out This thread on thecarlounge.net