Go!

A while ago I posted that Dodge had created a concept vehicle for a new version of their classic Challenger.

It looks like all systems are go.

Mood: Excited
Music: Steely Dan: "Do It Again"

Incoming

Wondering what incoming college freshmen are like? Check out this list.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Supertramp: "Dreamer"

Real Life

Today I finished Blazac's Droll Stories.

I've come to the conclusion that if you really want to know what life was like in Medieval and Renaissance times, one should read not only this book, but Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Boccaccio's Decameron, and Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Boz Scaggs: "Lido Shuffle"

Spoon!

I discovered this today.

I can just about imagine Maryanne's reaction.

Mood: Excited
Music: The Stanley Brothers: "Orange Blossom Special"

A Few Cold Ones

I'm not sure if this is something to be proud of or ashamed of.

More on it here.

Mood: Perplexed
Music: Led Zeppelin: "The Rover"

Red

A German study suggests that it's redheads, and not blondes, that have more fun.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Beatles: "I'm Looking Through You"

Better Than One?

If you have children, and have one of those days where everything seems to go wrong, just remember, things could always be worse.

Mood: Thankful
Music: Jethro Tull: "Aqualung"

Country Mouse

I have no love for the prairie.

I came to that conclusion yesterday as we drove through central Wisconsin, away from said prairie.

Don't get me wrong. Madison's a nice enough city, and Stoughton's a nice enough town. But they sit on the prairies of southern Wisconsin, which for the most part strike me as boring, rarely-interrupted expanses of grassland. Indeed, the geography of this part of the state was once covered with prairie, oak savannahs, and the occasional marsh -- vastly different from the rolling hills, mature woods, and thick swamps of what I consider home.

So when we drove away from all that yesterday, driving towards Baraboo and the Baraboo River, and the hills it flows between, it somehow felt more like Wisconsin. The weather was nice; it was a warm but not hot day with clear skies and plenty of sunshine.

It comes to no surprise, then, when people remark how Madison seems so different than the rest of the state. It's a nice place to visit, but I don't know that I could live there again. In fact, most of the "suburbs" have much of the same vibe. It seems that it's only once I get far enough away from Madison that I feel really comfortable. I don't know what it is. Maybe Madison really is different from the rest of the state. Or maybe it's that "country mouse in the city" thing that Maryanne keeps talking about.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Talking Heads: "Burning Down the House"

Veni, Vidi, Vici

So Maryanne and Jenni discovered this Italian name generator. Plug in your name and your gender and it gives you an Italian name.

The only problem is it's random. Each time you use the site it could give you a different name.

Poo poo to that.

Mood: Annoyed
Music: Bruce Springsteen: "Glory Days"

Changes

You may have noticed some changes to the layout of the website. I really wanted to try to eliminate a lot of the clutter on the page, and present a cleaner site. I think I'm on the right track.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Emerson, Lake & Palmer: "Hoedown"

The Future

The recent airline terrorism attempts and the resulting carry-on restrictions made me quite thoughtful.

Filibuster Cartoons just about nailed it.

I, for one, am becoming quite disappointed in the whole idea of flying.

I am also becoming quite cynical. If a terrorist isn't allowed to carry some kind of liquid chemical explosives on to the plane in his carry-on, what's going to prevent him from just putting it in his checked luggage with some kind of improvised cell phone detonator?

Benjamin Franklin, that great American, wrote, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Indeed, Franklin had a lot to say on the topic of liberty, and often it was a simple variation on this same theme.

I wish more people would take a cue from Franklin.

Mood: Pensive
Music: Wings: "Jet"

Telephone Line

One of the things we did over the weekend was stop at U.S. Cellular to renew our contract, which was soon to expire. Since we were renewing our contract, we were eligible to upgrade our phones at the reduced promotional prices. I liked a couple of the Motorola phones offered, but Maryanne preferred one of the phones by Samsung. Rather than go with my instinct, we both got Samsung phones. It's a flip phone, which is no big deal, and it has some nice features, like a camera and speakerphone, but I'm not sure how much I like the phone itself. I think I'm going to give it a week or so before I decide if I'm going to trade phones, though. It wouldn't be the first time one of us has traded one phone for another.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Styx: "The Grand Illusion"

Birthday Redux

Today would have been Grandpa A's 86th birthday.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Misty Mountain Hop"

Birthday

Today would have been Grandma A's 84th birthday.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Simon & Garfunkle: "The Boxer"

Home Improvement

This past week at home has been surprisingly productive considering the reason I've been home is to take care of Sarah. We've had a number of heating contractors come out and give us estimates on a new furnace. Our current furnace is around 20 years old, and is in need of replacement. So far four different companies have been out, and have given us quotes on three different brands of furnaces. I'd like to get the work done before September, as that seems to be time when all of these companies will start getting busy and scheduling will become more difficult.

I was also able to order some home improvement items and even get them delivered. We wanted some different blinds for Sarah's room to better block the light. I wanted to get cellular or honeycomb shades, lined so they would block light. Maryanne wasn't enthusiastic about the idea, but didn't really present any alternatives, so I ordered the honeycomb shades. Maryanne had to concede that I had been right about them.

We also ordered a pad for under the living room rug, to help keep it from moving so much as well as pad it. It works passably well so far; it sticks to the floor nicely, but the rug moves on it a little bit. We'll see how it holds up.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Zombies: "Time of the Season"

Heat Wave

Here it is August already. The summer has passed fairly quickly thus far, my time being occupied by various things for various reasons. Unfortunately it's been a warm summer, meaning I have not gotten much accomplished in our yard. There's much more I'd like to do, and it appears much of it will have to wait until autumn when things begin to cool off.

We are currently in the midst of a heat wave, one of the warmest in quite some time. Things are supposed to return closer to normal later in the week, though, and I'm looking forward to what respite it may bring.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Ray Charles: "What Would I Do Without You?"