Extreme Makeover

Tileapalooza has claimed it's third bathroom.

It's a lot of work, ugh. It took 14 hours just to cut the tile for this room as there are so many angles. It's a good thing tile does not wear out. The diagonal pattern makes things even harder. To further complicate things, no wall was 100% straight and each tile that needed to be cut was a custom cut. It's a lot of work but it looks really nice.

For some reason I can't find all the pictures of my house I took, but I did manage to find this one from the day I decided to buy it. This is what the master looked like before and after. Wow, what a change. The previous owner kept everything in great shape, but it was mostly builders grade materials. They held up well was a testament as to how he cared for this home.

But I've purged the house of most of the builders grade materials, ie. lights, flooring, paint. And it's paying off. Just like HGTV, here's an example of what you can do. Of course I did it myself. This room cost about $600.00 in supplies to make over like this.

My friends say I'm lucky I know how to do this work. But let me tell you after day three of laying on the floor caulking baseboards, you wish you were not so competent and could call in someone to finish the job. Am I proud of the work I did and doing it myself, yes. Though I think I'm more proud/surprised that it looks good when it's done.

I'm pooped on tile work. It will be a week or two before I take on the kitchen... maybe.

Mr. And Mrs. President

No, I did not take this picture. You can Google Image search and find it. The batteries died on my camera. I did go see Bill Clinton speak last night at the opening of Hillary Clinton's Austin Headquarters. It was certainly an occasion for Austin. The expected turnout was supposed to be less then 500 but it turns out 1500 people showed up. I invited my friend Gary to go with me, and we made it in early enough to get in the building. There were so many people Bill Clinton had to give a second speech outside standing in the bed of a pick up truck.

It was more old school Bill Clinton that we had come to know. It was certainly a gentler Bill that many had seen in South Carolina. He played to the crowd and loved every minute of it. Say what you will about Bill Clinton, but he always loved being President and always loved being with the people. After his speech was over he entered into the crowd and spent a good 10 minutes shaking hands before heading outside to give a second speech. It was a long day for him, the first speech did not start until 10:00pm.

I had last seen Bill Clinton in person back in 1992 at the Chautauqua Institution when he ran for President. He gave a speech with Hillary, Al and Tipper. They all looked so happy. I still didn't vote for him back then. I did vote for Bush in 92 as he was very much a world statesmen and I thought that was important. But I was wrong, the world loves Bill Clinton.

He would shake a million hands for America if he had to.

Tileapalooza

Seriously, that's what Home Depot calls a tile sale. I did not make that up.

It's raining this weekend here in Austin and it's very welcome. So no outside activities, the doggies are not subject to the 3 1/2 mile walk around Town Lake. They like the first mile, then they get tired.

I have three bathrooms and a kitchen that need new floors. While my home is only eight years old, the floors are needing some updating. All the wet areas have linoleum in various grades of quality. It's all in great shape for eight years, but tile to spruce things up a bit. I've never done tile before, so this is new to me.

If you hear cussing and screaming from Texas, you know who it is.

I Gotta Bone

Today is the one year anniversary of Baxter's adoption. I can't believe a year has gone by, but the calender does not lie. Nor does the blog, as one year ago I posted his homecoming pictures. It goes without saying, but we've made each other very happy.

Last year he was a six month old puppy with a bad case of kennel cough. Like a little kid, his nose was running all over the place. When I picked him up, he weighed 48 pounds. Today he weighs 80 pounds and went to the vet last week for a full check up and immunization boosters. He's a very healthy dog and I'm very thankful for that.

As usual, today Baxter's jumped on the bed and gave me a good morning kiss. Logan is a bit bolder and jumps in bed and lays next to me. Today's treat for the both of them is a big bone to chew on. This will keep them occupied for hours and let me get back to school work.

A dog is a huge commitment. It's very daunting at first when you take one home. Somewhat like a child, you are responsible for feeding and caring for this animal for quite some time. After a while you get used to it and your friends expect you to leave the party early so you can let your dog out.

The love and companionship is more then worth it.

Play With Me

I'm supposed to be writing a paper today. It has to get done today, it's due on Wednesday but I can't seem to get started. Hmm. I wonder why. Yes while dogs make wonderful companions, they do require a good deal of attention. I sometimes shoo them out of the house and into the backyard where they can play together. But that's not always what any of us need. We all need a little play time. It's often been referred to as "dog therapy". It certainly comes in handy.

But Baxter and Logan, I have a paper to write today. So outside you go. I'll make it up to you later. You won't let me forget.

Where Art Though Governor?

I love politics. It so much fun, especially when you can sit on the sidelines and watch. Besides reading a ton, I never miss and episode of Meet The Presson Sunday mornings. Long-time moderator Tim Russert is a favorite of mine amongst Washington journalists.

To the surprise of many, including his supporters, Mitt Romney "suspended" his presidential bid. Why not just say, "I'm dropping out". I prefer declaratory statements versus the uncertain ones. I know it had to smart a bit, he spent a lot of his money to run.

It would have been easier if Mitt was the GOP candidate. I've always had a strong affinity for John McCain and the "Straight Talk Express". He was the first person I ever gave money too back in 2000 when he was running. He's been thoughtful enough to remind me of that in e-mails. I'll have to say, he's been sending me e-mails for eight years now. Very thoughtful of him.

From the start of the presidential race I've been behind Hillary Clinton for a number of reasons. She's a fighter, I'm a fighter. She's smart, I have moments of smartness. She's aggressive, I'm aggressive. Most of this can be said for John McCain too I guess. We like people that mirror ourselves. Yes there are the old "Clinton" days, but they weren't really that bad. I think we were mostly a content bunch during the 90's and Bill Clinton easily beat Bob Dole in the '96 campaign. Kerry nearly toppled Bush in '04, not a sign of contentment. On the Democratic side Hillary is still my candidate.

I get mad at Barack Obama for running in this contest. He's a such a dynamic personality and a great orator. He has the power of persuasion and he captures an audience. Why am I upset then? He really has not much of a record to run on in the Senate or from Illinois. He certainly wants "change" but I'm not quite certain what that is. If he said "I want chocolate cake", I'd know what he was asking for.

The United States runs fairly well compared to many places around the globe. Any new leader is going to bring significant change to the country. We weren't clambering for "change" in 2000 but we certainly were given it. He will get beaten up by John McCain, almost personally. Early in his senate career, Obama agreed to support McCain on a bill and with out any notice to McCain changed his mind publicly. The Irish never forget. Coming in second in a presidential race will end your presidential asperations. It would be very sad for such a promising individual who is so young.

Another interesting development. Where's the Governor? Mitt, you left us with out a Governor. How dare you. We love Governors! We think they make great presidents, as they manage little countries on their own first, then we promote them. Since 1976 we've had a present or former Governor in the race. No Governors in 2008 to pick from. Thanks Mitt.

Nuts About Lutz

My latest read outside of textbooks has been Six Men Who Built The Modern Auto Industry. It's an interesting book about the six most influential automobile executives from 1970 to today. It's clear the author has one favorite and that is Bob Lutz, presently with General Motors. His first job happen to be with GM back in the early 60's, but he then went to work for BMW, Ford, Chrysler and now back to GM.

Last night I joined my friend Gary for a movie and he arrived at the theater in a beautiful black 2008 Cadillac CTS. Black is the only color they should offer on that car, as it's just stunning and works with every line and surface. I'm glad we waited until after the movie to go over the car or we would have never made it inside. Gary indulged me in a quick spin around the neighborhood by the theater. I've written glowing passages about this car and I still stand by everyone one of them. This is truly Bob Lutz's finest work. (Not that one man is solely responsible for a car mind you.)

Back to my reading. One of the chapters about Lutz discusses his time at BMW is the 1970's. This period was also the gestation time for one of my present rides, the E24 6-Series. Apparently Bob had penned the original concept of this beautiful car first, and left the final look to the design team. But certainly he put his stamp on the continuing development of the car. I just finished washing mine and taking it for a nice Sunday drive and I'm still very much in love with it. I've posted new pics on my Carspace.com page, the link is to the right of this column.

Bob Lutz's other significant vehicle I've owned is the Ford Explorer. He was head of Ford's U.S. Light Truck Operation during it's development period. His design influence made the Explorer more then an extended wheelbase Bronco II. By Making the vehicle wider and longer, he defined the SUV class as to what this segment should be. I personally had four examples of the first generation Explorer from 1991-2001 and it was the perfect trans-continental vehicle for one or two people. My father still has his 2000 5.0L V8 AWD model.

General Motors normal retirement age is typically about 65 or so, but Bob Lutz has blown past that. And it's for our benefit that he has continued to work into his 70's. If John McCain wanted another former military fighter pilot on the ticket, a McCain/Lutz run for 2008 would have a strong chance at my vote.

False Alarm

Or Jeep Masters, Part II.

As per my previous post, I took my Jeep in to Jeep Masters of Austin last week for a new starter. Like I said earlier they gave my Jeep a now-complementary once over of all the things it needed. Like any car with 73k miles on it, there are things that need attention. I did receive a dire warning from the shop that my lower radiator hose was going to go at any moment and for $108.00 they would replace the upper and lower. The price was very fair, but having given the Jeep a once over recently I was suspect. I declined.

But they are professionals, so I headed over to AutoZone for new hoses. Boo Hiss to AutoZone for not carrying these common wear and tear parts. I had to wait for three days for hoses to arrive. (How many Grand Cherokees do you see in one day?) So today I ripped up my knuckles and pulled the hoses out, put new one's in, and flushed the cooling system. The last part was not required until 100k, but when does it hurt to do this early?

Getting the easiest thing done first, I replaced the upper hose, no problem. The lower hose, is not fun, but not impossible either. Much to my disappointment, my lower hose was fine. No dry cracks or striations from bulging. Once cleaned up it was hard to tell from new. While no hose lasts forever, this one was not going to blow. I would have driven to El Paso with a hose in this condition and not thought about it twice. I'm really not upset at doing the job, you do need to replace the hoses and belts on your car. I just won't be doing it later.

I love small independent shops. There were two that I used in Los Angeles that I swore by. Once was in Hawthorne the other in Hollywood. I send people there all the time when asked and I still have their numbers. I'm disappointed because I wanted this to be my Jeep shop. I understand every shop has to make it's money, but unwarranted scare tactics are no way to keep my business or earn my sought-after recommendation.

Catch-Up and Tune-Up

Happy New Year to everyone, I've been preoccupied a bit lately. My Mom came in from Christmas and we did a bunch of home improvement projects. I was stuck on colors for my laundry room and guest bathroom and she came through with some great choices. And she also painted the rooms for me! Go Mom! New Years was lame as I've been sick with the stomach flu for the past week.

Here a few Christmas shots of the kids (dogs) as it's all about them. They truly enjoy getting packages and playing with the boxes. I kid you not, Baxter and Logan took a box from the garbage in the backyard and tore it to shreds while having the time of their lives. Oh what a mess. Mike's dog Ripley stayed with me while he went home to his family and she was an absolute riot playing with this plastic bag of Milk Bone snacks. She dragged it around the living room until the contents spilled out. How resourceful. Of course Baxter being 90 lbs of pure energy he was yelled at a few times and took refuge behind the couch.


Austin today is incredibly nice for those of you freezing or my friends in California who are soaking. The forecast today was 75 and sunny. Perfect day to get outside and give the Jeep a tune-up. Earlier in the week I had taken the Jeep to Jeep Masters here in Austin to have a starter put in. No foul, they wear out over time and need to be replaced. I give mixed reviews to Jeep Masters, while they did a through review of my Jeep for problems they could fix, they attempted to charge me for the review itself. They were kind and took it off the bill as I had just asked for a new starter, however I opened the hood today and found they had not re-secured the air filter box when they opened it. Kinda sloppy, so the jury is out on them.

Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy 2008!

Merry Christmas

I have not bought a Christmas tree in years. Generally I throw some ornaments on a terminally ill houseplant that I have spent the year trying to kill. This year's Christmas miracle surely has to be that this plant is alive after 12 months in my care. Nonetheless, I'll still try and kill it by hanging overweight ornaments on it. Someone referred to it as a "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree". That tree was dead and brown, although this one is sure to meet the same fate in the near future.

I'm off to pick my Mom up at the airport soon. She's going to enjoy a week of 60 degree temperatures, which will be double of what Buffalo has this time of year. I've long since forgotten what it's like to have snow at Christmas.

Merry Christmas and safe travels to all.

300

It's a great bowling score. A decent car from Chrysler. A movie about warriors. And now it is officially my maximum bench press.

Some people run, some people lift. I don't run, well. I lift far much better and genetically that's what nature intended. Not that I can't run, about six years ago I was running five miles a day, three times a week. My body and mind hated every step, but I could do it. I'm in awe of people that can run marathons or cross-country. For the record though, I did run the Peachtree 10K when I was 25 and I still have my number.

Three hundred was a particular number of pounds I wanted to bench press by Christmas of this year. I hit it a week early after a very botched attempt last week. A shout out to my workout partner Vern who kept my chest from being sliced in two. I deviated from my usual warm up and I paid for it. Today he spotted me as I benched 300 pounds three times with no assistance. It may sound somewhat of a meathead thing to do, but I'm going with what I'm good at. And for the record, my blood test will pass Congressional scrutiny.

Back in 2004 I was not sure when my future held for upper body weightlifting. I had torn my rotator cuff and split a tendon during a rugby tournament in 2003. My surgeon, Dr. Christine Ekstrand at UCLA Medical Center said the best I could ever hope for was 90 percent recovery for my shoulder. That was the best, the most likely was 70 to 80 percent. She must have been a better surgeon then analyst as today there is no difference between the left and the right shoulder. ADI Physical Therapy in Hollywood deserves credit as well. I never missed an appointment.

Now that I've met this goal, I'm not heading any higher. I will stay at 300 and get more reps. Increasing weight is a slippery slope and every joint and muscle on my body works fine and I'd like to keep it that way. In case your wondering, the only supplement I take is amino acids. Any nutritionist would probably label my diet as "somewhat crappy", and with the donut intake I'm not going to argue. I tip the scales at 220 pounds.

This month marks one year in Texas. And everything is bigger here, including me. Must be something in the water...

Mr. Beef and Pizza

Brrr. I think that's the best phrase to describe Chicago in December. It certainly was appropriate last Friday as I flew up there in the morning to meet my friend Mike who had taken an earlier flight.

Now a week ago, I had no intention of heading to Chicago in the late fall. Mike had purchased a 1988 Pontiac Fiero and was going to drive it down it back to Austin. I said I'd watch his dog to help out. Last minute plane tickets to Chicago were not in my budget and while I'm a generally helpful person riding 18 hours or 1170 miles in a two seat Fiero is not the first thing on my list of things to do this month, or even year. The weather forecast was calling for snow though, and at a Christmas party last Saturday, my friend Gary offered up a free plane ticket. Mike has never driven in snow. I'm from Buffalo. Say no more.

It's important to have goals and Mike's has always been to own the car of his high school dreams, a 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT. A few weeks earlier he had found one on AutoTrader and it's a gem. In immaculate shape, this 20 year old car has only 30,000 miles on it. But it was in Chicago. Sounds crazy to some, but remember six months ago, I bought a 20 year old BMW is New Jersey and drove it back to Austin. So I did all I could to help.

We arrived at the dealership and it was all that the car promised to be in the pictures. The friendly folks at Muller Pontiac in Highland Park had the paperwork ready and within 45 minutes we were on our way. With the weather threatening to turn horrible, we made plans to head South that day rather then do some Chicago sightseeing. But first we need lunch.

Quintessentially Chicago, I headed for Mr. Beef and Pizza in Mt. Prospect. Turns out the downtown location that I once lived a few blocks from had closed. I'm sure it's footprint is now a condo structure. Mr. Beef and Pizza did not disappoint, and we were so lucky as to have won a free hamburger for our next visit before 1/8/08. Luck would hold out for the rest of the trip back to Austin.

I decided our road names for this trip would be Mr. Beef and Pizza. Me being the beefy Irishman, I got to be Mr. Beef by default. Mike was Pizza. He's not even Italian, but actually more English. If we could have found a Mr. Beef and Shepard's Pie, things would have been pefect. Hmm. No such luck. At about 2:00 pm the dynamic duo hit Illinois' I-294 and headed South.

Mike was not interested in driving in Chicago, so I took the helm despite the clear roads. The sky did look like it was about to open up into a snowstorm, but we made it out of Chicago to I-57 without a drop of anything from the sky. Illinois is a very long state and we made it all the way to Marion and spent the night. The next day we drove about 14 hours straight and made it back to Round Rock about 10:30.

I was surprised at how well the Fiero had help up over the past 20 years. There were no interior rattles, the engine ran great and the car tracked straight forward. I would like to say everything worked well, but there were a few things that needed attention. I'm certain there's a small vacuum leak that's keeping the cruise control from working and the engine surging slightly at idle. Pop-up headlight always fail and sure enough, in Sulphur Springs, TX after dinner we suddenly had a Fiero that was winking at everyone. Any 20 year old car is going to need repair as I assured Mike who was having a minor melt down. Part of owning a classic car is fixing your classic car. The only guarantee you get with a 20 year old car is that you're going to have to fix it.

Day three of Mike's Fiero ownership did not start out well. On the way back to the airport to retrieve his truck, we ran out of gas. Oh, I guess the fuel gauge needs some attention too. This unhappy Mike photo was taken on 183 here in Austin. We don't normally stop next to run-down trailer parks for photo shoots. No thanks to AAA of Texas, after 90 minutes of not showing up to give me a gallon of gas, Mike walked over to the gas station that opened at 10:00am and bought a gas can. We were back on our way. Tripple A receives a tripple F for service as my original quote was for no longer then 45 minutes. I don't think I sold Mike on the AAA membership but an auto club membership of some kind is quintessential when your car is out of warranty.

In the end, all's well that ends well. We're home, the Fiero is in one piece. And my hot tub is waiting for me.

Wrapping Things Up

No, it's not Christmas wrap either. Today is my last day of classes at UT for my Certification in Project Management. Unless I do something incredibly egregious I'm going to pass this course and receive my certification. However, I'm no slouch. Next month I start finishing up my Certification in Human Resource Management, but that will be online learning.

No more drives downtown to UT. I will miss going to class that's for sure. We had a great group to work in and our presentation on Monday went well.

Now to celebrate with a weekend adventure... Stay Tuned!

Year One

One year ago today I closed on my house. The picture on the top is from my first blog entry. It was taken by the realtor when I was looking at my house. I took another one today, wow the trees have grown. I guess that three feet of rain and fertilizer sticks really did their job.

Nothing eventful to report lately. But thanks for checking in... :)

Improved Home Improvement

Just a bit more housework going on lately. Nothing too crazy but coming up to my first anniversary so I'm going to spruce the place up a bit.

Sometime ago a I ranted about an awful experience I had a Lowes. Well they have redeemed themselves. A few weeks ago they had an incredible appliance sale on Maytag. When I mean incredible, I do mean incredible. After selling my old appliances, a new dishwasher, stove and over-the-range microwave set me back less them two fill ups on a pick-up truck. I kid you not. And it was all their middle grade appliances too, not builders grade. Since I can install appliances myself, I really cleaned up. Delivery was free too. Nice.

Well all was not well Sunday night when I attempted to install the last appliance, the Range. The rough in specs were 30 inches. No problem, the builder who built my place left exactly 30 inches to install a stove. The width of one Maytag stove? Exactly 30 inches as well. Not believing my eyes, I measured again and again. It would not budge. The tale of the tape measure does not lie, that range was not going to fit.

According to Lowes website the range is 29 7/8 inches. If it were, it would have slid in nicely and I would have posted this a day earlier. With receipts and tape measure in hand, off to Lowes I went. Here is the incredible part. I arrived at Lowes at 10:00 am Monday morning. At 11:12 am, the same morning, I waived goodbye to the Lowes delivery guys who dropped off a new upgraded Frigidaire range. Of course we made sure it fit before they left.

Without any fuss or muss, Amanda and I walked over to the Maytag range in the store and she agreed. It simply was replaced. Such service is typically reserved for Nordstorm shoppers, not mass market home stores. Amanda's manger of course received a nice letter. With their price matching policies, I'll never need to shop for appliances anywhere else. And I won't.

When you come to visit next time, the first thing you'll see is my new front door. A DIY design on-a-dime project if there ever was one. Just cruising through craigslist I found this front door that was sun damaged. It was originally stained, but there was no way it would ever be stained again with the sun damage. It could be painted however! Coffee Bean from Eddie Bauer Home, thank you. Some new door hardware and mounting adjustments and I was set. Much improved.

So there it is. Come knock on my new front door and I might just might cook for you.

New Truck, Blue Truck

I never turn down someone's request for help in buying a car. I know there is so much to think about and the vast vault of automotive knowledge in my brain needs to be tapped every so often or it will burst. This time it was my friend Mike's turn to suffer through my exhaustive download of automotive information.

So here is his new truck. He's happy and I know his mom is reading this now. Yes you'll see it at Thanksgiving.

In a watershed moment for Ford Motor Company, the last issue of Consumer Reports recommended the F150 due to it's strong record of reliability for the present model. Of greater shock was that they did not recommend the Toyota Tundra due to it's numerous powertrain problems. Historically reliable Toyota has become a victim of it's own growth. It's not easy building that many cars and getting it right.

Thanks to my dad, Mike enjoyed a steep discount on his truck with Ford's Friend and Neighbors program. If you're reading this, you're pretty much my friend I assume. This program is also known as the X plan. A few of you have taken advantage of this and if you haven't hit me up. The plan is basically 91% or MSRP and all incentives are included. At times there are additional incentives for X plan buyers, such as the additional $500 rebate that Mike used on his truck.

Keep in mind I'll talk to you about any car and you don't need to be buying a Ford. But of course I'll strongly suggest it....

Hook 'Em Horns

This was meant to be yesterday's blog but the arrival of my niece pushed it to today. Being a non-Texan by birth, I would say that the arrival of a new niece is more important then football, but the natives here might argue that. It's my call and Chloe wins.

Everyone knows about Texas and football. Not having attended college here I landed in Austin without an allegiance to any team. I have friends who went to A&M as well as UT and whoever took me to a game first, I would pledge me support to that team. Last Saturday UT won my affections thanks to Mike. Go Longhorns!

I've been to numerous professional football games, but never to a college game. And certainly not to a college that takes it's football as seriously as UT. I thought that going to a school with a big football team would be fun, but the majority of the 84,000 in attendance were not students. It's not cheap to go to a game, even for students. I think the lure of the big school athletics like UT is the lifelong affiliation once you graduate and can afford the price of admission.

It was a perfect day for football. The weather was cool and there was a bit of a breeze. Prior to the kickoff, we spent a few hour tailgating in the parking lot with Mike's friend Terri. What a spread she put out. I think she was the belle of the LBJ Parking lot as her tailgate party had LIVE satellite television. We watched A&M loose to Missouri. Several other less fortunate tailgater's crept over to watch the game with us.

Once inside the stadium it was a sea of burnt orange. Last fall when I bought my house I was in Sears looking for a new washer and dryer. I came across a set and exclaimed to my salesperson, "Who buys a pumpkin colored washer and dryer?". I had so much to learn.

UT won and it was a great game. They handily beat Texas Tech, and everyone in the stands was polite to our guests from the opposing team in my section. The half time show was actually interesting to watch as both marching bands took turns on the field. There was plenty of tradition although I failed get a look at Bevo, the UT mascot.

There are two things Texas loves. It's football and itself. I've been told many times by natives, "There's Texas and there's not Texas".

And they're right.

Oh Baby

She's here! Yesterday my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Chloe Elizabeth Santoro. Mother and daughter are doing fine after an intense 17 hours of labor. She's a few weeks early but she's still 8 lbs. Not a bad size and thankfully she arrived when she did as if she stayed full term, she may have hit the double digits which is common in my family.

She's adorable and perfect. I now have four nieces and one nephew. You can count on more baby pictures to come in the upcoming weeks.

Blow Hard

Here's Big Red, my new favorite toy. No shop is complete without an air compressor to inflate tires or remove those unbelievably tight and difficult suspension bolts. Not to mention brake caliper bolts too. Nothing like a good impact wrench to take your lug nuts off without hurting yourself.

Mucho thanks to Mom and Dad for the early Christmas present.

Last week i picked up the new front springs to my 635CSi and met a set of unweilding brake caliper bolts while trying to remove the front strut tower. The car has about 110k on it which means it's had about two brake jobs in the past 19 years. Those brake calipers bolts have not moved since daytrading was an occupation. They are very happy where they are but I need to change that.

But not today. I've inflated the tires a bit and played with all the accessories. Hats off to the guys at Home Depot for being so helpful. I hit the guys up at the contractor desk and they could not have helped me more in picking out the right model and the correct nailer for the woodworking jobs I have planned for my house. I know I usually slam Home Depot, but these guys were great. You bet I'm going to fill out that survey at the bottom of my receipt.

I can't stop smiling and playing with it. I've properly inflated the tires on all my cars. The difference between men and boys certainly is the size of their toys.

Candy Land

I think I did ok, but it sure has been a long time. When I was 10 years old my family left the suburbs for rural living. There's not much trick-or-treating when the houses are miles apart. Since then I've lived in apartments and condos mostly. I did live in a house in the Hollywood Hills for several years, but on a street that's at a 20% grade and with thirteen steps up to the front door deters even the most avid trick-or-treater.

Now I live in a subdivision with about 600 homes, and there are families everywhere. It's my first time passing out candy and I guess I did ok. I went to Target yesterday and bought two big bags with 102 pieces each. I don't know why it was 102 versus 100. I did substantial product testing and found the candy was suitable for distribution to the children in my neighborhood. The bulk of the activity was between 7-9pm and there's about 30 pieces left.

All the kids dressed up and their parents stood at the end of the driveway as their kids made their junior attempts at door-to-door salesmenship. However, it would take the coldest heart to refuse a child a piece of candy on a night like this. The costumes were the usual timeless classics like Spiderman, Batman, Hobo's.. etc. And the most popular costume of the evening?

Every girl is Daddies' little Princess.