A Life Without Wheels

Back from my travels to South Carolina and San Francisco and home to a forecast of snow and the news that my car is officially old.

This week has been the first time I've really had to have heat in the morning, and this week, the old 1995 Taurus just wasn't blowing hot air. I also noticed the water temperature rising, so I took it to my local Ford dealer.

This afternoon I got the report.

Diagnosis: The car is old and many of the gaskets in the engine have gone bad. So has a radiator hose and they want to look at the timing chain while they can.

Total: Too much money.

Result: Arni is bumming rides from co-workers until Thursday. That sucks.

Can I go back to last week?

What Would You Do?

It's Friday night. You've flown to Charleston for a friend's wedding. After a night out, you're sitting with two other friends in a local pizza place when a girl tries to talk to you by saying"Hi, Catch!"

Now, your friends think since the girl is hot and completely drunk, that you should play along. But you're hungry and you're convinced that she doesn't know you. So you ignore her as she stares at the back of your head and throws things at you while you wait for pizza.

Are you behaving yourself, or are you a dumbass?

Say What!?!?!?!

I found something pretty funny while surfing the web today. The CEO of a worldwide corporation took his talking points from Snoop Dogg. What's next? Dr. Dre as Secretary of Defense? It would give "W" some street cred. Found the "nut graphs," or explanation even funnier.

Here's the story from Reuters...

Chrysler Boss Calls Car Award 'The Shizzle'

DETROIT (Reuters) - The head of DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler division borrowed a phrase from rapper Snoop Dogg on Thursday to thank Motor Trend magazine for naming the Chrysler 300 its 2005 "car of the year."

"Winning the Motor Trend Car of the Year award is huge for us," said Dieter Zetsche, Chrysler's president and chief executive.

"As Snoop Dogg would say, it's the shizzle," he added.

Shizzle is urban slang that can have many different meanings, according to Snoop Dogg himself. But it is mostly used in the phrase "fo' shizzle," as in "for real" or "for sure."

Zetsche's reference to Snoop Dogg, in his German-accented English, was not gratuitous.
The Los Angeles rapper is a big fan of the 3OO, which has a large chrome grill and low-slung roof. He grabbed headlines in Detroit last May after he left a voicemail message for Zetsche demanding to know how he could get his hands on the hot-selling sedan.

Chrysler spokesman Jason Vines said Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, got his wish after he agreed to put the car in one of his recently released hip-hop videos.

"That's a pretty fair payment," said Vines, referring to the power of celebrity buzz and endorsement.

Zetsche addressed the awards ceremony at Chrysler's Detroit-area headquarters by video linkup from Las Vegas, where he was meeting with Chrysler's national auto dealers.

On display at the ceremony was the white one Snoop Dogg asked for back in May.

Gadgets and design changes, made to order for the rapper, included gull-wing doors, a sound system big enough to fill the car's trunk, and a trio of video screens.

Motor Trend praised the 300 as a "compelling combination of power, responsiveness, room and refinement."

The U.S. magazine's editorial staff tested 24 new vehicles to find what it called the automobile that best represented exceptional value, superiority in its class, and the most significant development on the new car scene.

Veterans Day

Thanks to all the veterans out there for their service to our country.

Odds and Ends for $100, Alex

Arni's weekend plans: Nothing really. Watched some football on TV (Saturday) and plan on doing some more (Sunday). I may take in a movie. I've heard good things about the "Incredibles" and really want to see "Ray."

Reading: "How to be Good" by Nick Hornby has been sitting on the bookshelf unread for several months. It's about time I got to it. Also I have copies of Sports Illustrated and ESPN: The magazine that I have to leaf through.

Playing: NASCAR: Chase for the Cup, TOCA Race Driver 2 and NCAA Football 2005.

Of Note: Congratulations to my friend Paul Agnew, who was elected to the District 11 seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives. ... Banana Republic still thinks I'm a woman, but a couple of my friends at the office say those boots they want me to buy were "really cute."

On the agenda: Tackling the growing pile of laundry and grocery list, trips to Charleston, S.C. and San Francisco, begin house-hunting process.

What's up with you guys?

Some Hither, Others Yonder -- An addendum

Rather than drop this in the below blog listing, I created another post.

... I've decided that after eight months, I should probably look for some friends that live here. That is unless any of my current ones want to move to Indiana. Then, I'll gladly call off the search.

Anyone interested?

Some Hither, Others Yonder

To loosely borrow a phrase from former Dallas Morning News columnist Blackie Sherrod, "Scattershooting while wondering, what ever happened to the Pet Shop Boys?" ... (A little explication, Blackie Sherrod wrote columns that jumped around and began with the above phrase -- without the reference to 80's pop band).

Last week, the IRL Championship Celebration was held on the Disney Wonder cruise ship. Most people on the boat brought the wives, girlfriends or good friends. Having none of those, I brought my mom and dad. I think a good time was had by all. I know I had a good time. (Photos of said vacation can be found at neckthai.smugmug.com. Click on IRL Championship Celebration)

I think I was most happy for the hour I sat at "Serenity Bay," the adults-only beach on Disney's private island Castaway Cay.

It was as close to being a dog as I'll ever get. I was no more than 15 yards from crystal blue Carribean water and the same distance from the bathroom. I had a nice chaise lounge where the sun was blocked, I could dig my toes into soft white sands, and a Disney staffer was at my beckon call to bring me drinks with little umbrellas in them. I think I found my calling in life. I'm ideally suited to be a beach bum. ...

I came home from the cruise in time to see the country to settle the great debate of the last four months -- who should be our new leader? Not that my vote mattered. I voted about three weeks ago as an absentee in South Carolina, which was going to go Bush regardless. Come to think of it, every state I've ever lived in went Bush.

The great thing about this country is we can be critical of our nation's leaders. If you don't believe in the President's policy, you have the right to say that (though we sometimes wonder why) and you can continue to fight for your issues.

It's something they call pluralism, and its the one thing about our society which drives the fundamentalists who commit acts of terror crazy. Well and the fact we let women play sports, drive cars and vote. ...

Finally, I think I broke my blog. Why do my links jump all the way to the bottom. Help me Obi Wan Webmaster. You're my only hope.