New Car Smell

I went car shopping this weekend, and the wife and I came home with a new Toyota RAV4. I hated the way the old models looked, like plastic toys, but this model won me over. We had narrowed it down to either the Honda CRV, the Toyota, or the Subaru Forester. The Toyota won out, its drives and handles well, has a ton of cargo room, has alltime 4wd and still gets 30mpg with a 3.5 v6. We were committed Honda devotees until we drove one of these things, If there exists a thing that is more dependable than a Honda, I think it has to be a Toyota, I remember a friend in college had a Toyota pickup that had 270,000 miles on it with only small repairs done on it, the only other car I can think of with that kind of legendary reliability is Volvo. Anyway I will get high on the new car fumes for a bit longer and long for warm weather so I can load this sucker up, slap a canoe on top and head for the Blue Ridge for some camping, new cars rule!

Would You Vote For This Guy?

Mitt Romney, he looks like the poster boy for clean living and brylcreem, but is America ready for a Morman President? First of all a cantidates religion is of secondary importance to me, I want to know where he stands on policy, but often times a cantidates views are shaped by their respective religions. I am a Protestant Christian, of the tolerant Presbytrian/ Methodist branch. I don't begrudge a cantidate's faith or their bringing it up in speeches, but I have to admit that the Morman's have always seemed a bit out there to me. Now most of this view of mine is based on the decided right-wing slant, politically, of the Mormans I have known, the other stuff, the Jesus in Utah, the funny drawers, and the poligamy is just fuel for the fire. Now don't get me wrong the Mormans I have known are nice, polite people, I just don't like their politics, the same attitude I have against Southern Babtists and certain other denominations. Does this make me anti-Morman? Probally no more than not voting for Pat Buchanan make me anti-Catholic, but I do feel uneasy about a guy whose great-grandaddy had multiple wives.

Please, Run Al.

It's gonna happen, Gore is running in 08. I sat through the long boring Oscar show on Sunday just to see what he had to say, somewhere between Ellen's unfunny jokes, Gore stepped up to present with Leo and the guy joked about running, judging by his body language, he's running. He is going to let Hillary, Obama, and Edwards batter and bruise each other and then our boy is going to step in to save the day. He will pick Obama as his running mate and they will win in an electoral juggernaut. At least that is my dream scenario. This is Gores golden chance to give a giant middle finger to the Clintons and the hell that they made his life. Hollywood has already turned on Hillary, Gore has deep pockets now, he sits on the boards of Google and Apple, his fundraising will make Hillarys look like a church bake sale. The American electorate knows what the consequences of 2000 are, they are prepared to right that wrong. Gore is going to run and the GOP is scared.

Fuzzy Buddy

Lately alot of my friends are posting dog pics on their blogs, so I thought I'd join the party. This is JackieO my 8 year old Jack Russell, doing what she does best, sleeping in the sun. The wife and I are thinking about adding another canine to the family this spring, something of the smushed face variety, Boston Terrier and French Bulldog seem to be leading the list right now. Dogs kick ass I wish I lived on about 100 acres in the country so I could have like 10 pups, but for now I think 2 would be a perfect number.

Happy President's Day

Here's my man Bubba, my favorite living President. I have seen a lot of polls on the net and in the newspapers today on who Americans consider their five best Presidents. My personal list would be this,

1. George Washington, he could have been President for life but he took the route of Cincinattus.

2. Lincoln, he perserved the Union, even if he did suspend the Writ and overreach his powers.

3. FDR, His leadership and insight during the Depression and WWII saved this country and Europe from tyranny.

4. Thomas Jefferson, his intellect and reason make him one of the few true genious Presidents we have ever had.

5. Theodore Rooselvelt, I know he was a Republican, but he truly was a reformer who fought the robber barons of the Gilded Age, and he started the US on the road to being a superpower, his far-sighted establishment of the National Park system is reason enough for him to be in my top 5.

So there you have it my list, what do you guys think? Who's on your list?

It Was Bound To Happen

One of my favorite bands ever is touring again. The Police are reunited and I couldn't be happier. I was too young to catch them the first time around, I was 12 when they broke up, but I will sure as hell see them this time. I still think Sting can be an arrogant ass, as his recent solo albums demonstrate, but to see him playing again with Stuart and Andy would be great. Just three great musicians who wrote some great songs, not Stings bloated huge band that he has on his solo gigs. I think I got copies of Outlandos D'Amour and Synchronicity on vinyl when I was 11 or so and I played them till they wore out. Stuart Copeland is probally my favorite drummer of all time, I gotta get some tickets.

If Girls Ruled The World

First off I have to admit that I have the hots for this lady, Segolene Royal who is the Socialist cantidate for the French Presidency. She is my freakin moms age but she's beautiful. Reading a profile of her today in the Atlantic Monthly it dawned on me that by 2008 three of the most powerful countries in the world, France, Germany, and the United States could have women as their chief executives, has this ever happened before? Maybe we could trade Madame Royal for Hillary, I like her politics better, unlike Mrs. Clinton she has never supported the Iraq mess and she also admits to her mistakes. Women in the West are rising to positions of power and I think it has to be a good thing, but will female leadership really change the way things run in the Western democracies? Food for thought.

Dog Breeds And Personalities

I've been conducting my own little experiment lately. I have been noticing other dog owners out and about and trying to match the owners personality to that of their dog. Sometimes its easy, the young wannabe gangsta with the pitbull or Rottweiler, the old lady or socialite with the poodle or Yorkie in a purse, and the classic nuclear family with a smiling Golden Retriever. Some are a bit more complex, my friends and family with the pound adoption dogs who have wonderful temperments, the 90 lb. twentysomething girl that lived in my old neighborhood with a ginormous English Mastiff, and the fat guy with the Dalmation that I used to see at the dog park. Maybe there is no way to match peoples personalities with the type of dog they choose to own, or maybe a good dog is just a good dog regardless of their breed. As a Jack Russell devotee I tried to find well known owners of the breed to see if I had anything in common with them, it turns out the Prince of Wales owns a couple, lets see I didn't leave my hot wife for an old bag, I'm not a billionaire or the future heir to the throne, but I am into organic farming and sustainable agriculture, Hmm, then I find out Mariah Carey also owns a Jack, never mind.