Twenty Years Ago Today

I'm horrible at remembering things like this, thank you Jennifer for the text message this morning. Today is my older sister's twentieth wedding anniversary. Yes this photo was taken twenty years ago today. Happy Anniversary.

It was 1988. My brother-in-law and I had hair. Jennifer's hair didn't dare touch her shoulders or her electric-blue bridesmaid dress. Her hair is well past her shoulders today. Mom's shoulder pads were so wide Joan Collins was green with envy. Dad's hair was jet black, it's not that any more. However he still has more then I do.

Twenty years is a significant milestone, but I find the more interesting story is that my sister and her husband met when they were both 17 on the first weekend of college. They have been together ever since. This fall their oldest daughter starts the same college, SUNY Geneseo, and will be 17 as well.

Will lightning strike twice?

That Ole Ripley

Small dogs were never of much interest to me. Having grown up with St. Bernard's that were nearly as big as me, what's the point of a dog if you can't tackle it? No doubt I like to roll around and play with my dogs, and they are built to take it.

Over the past week I've been watching my friend Mike's dog while he has been away on vacation. I've known Ripley for over a year now and we've gotten to know each other. Mike wanted a dog but was constrained to an apartment size dog 10 years ago when he bought her. She's a mixed breed of Rat Terrier and Chihuahua. Despite her age, she's pretty feisty and active.

She does have a temper for sure. Last Christmas while watching her, she bit my mother who had never been bit by a dog in her 29++++ years on this earth. All ten pounds of her keeps Baxter and Logan off the couch. God help you if you try and take her food away. Like all dogs, she does have her soft snuggly side. And she certainly fits better on the couch next to me compared to Baxter and Logan.

I'll take my big dogs anyday, trust me. But this one's always welcome to visit.

Something Old, Something New

Today I say goodbye to the big white box on my desk. It has been there in some incarnation or another since I was 18 and had my first phone line at college. The land line phone will soon be gone. Land-line sorta phone, I switched over to VOIP about three years ago and went with Vonage. This is by no means a hit at their service, it's been flawless. And if you need VOIP, I'd recommend them.

But I no longer need them. My long-time cell phone carrier, T-Mobile, has lowered the price of HotSpot@Home service to $9.99 a month. So I now have unlimited calling at home over my cell phone when I'm in range of my new T-Mobile/Linksys router. I was paying $24.99 a month, $32.00 w/tax, for Vonage unlimited. With the savings I upgraded to the new Blackberry Curve 8320 and opted for e-mail service on my phone. Just getting more for the money and I'm still ahead.

310 will be no more come 6/13. I've had that number for longer then I can remember, and it's hard to say good-bye to. I wonder what lost phone calls or test messages I'll miss from people trying to catch up. I get them every so often and it's great to hear from an old friend. To make things easier on everyone, I'll be porting over my 512 number to T-Mobile so it won't be that drastic of a change. On 6/14 all text messages will have to be sent to my 512 number.

By-the-way, I've been with T-Mobile for so long as their service is excellent. And today they did it again. Of course I'm on a Mac so I had to call in to have them set up my router. Audry my representative was excellent and took my step-by-step through the process and without fail, it worked the first time. Kudos to her and T-Mobile for being so well organized.

Something new, and excellent service too.

Time For A Brake

As I'm writing this blog, Hillary Clinton is giving her concession speech and about to endorse Barack Obama for President. For some this brings closure to a long campaign for the Democratic nomination, but for many like me, it's the end for our candidate. Hillary may endorse him, and that's fine, but I'll make up my own mind. And it's not made up yet.

During lunch with my friend Sam last week, he brought up an interesting point. While I've always identified myself as a Democrat, I actually may be an Independent voter. The appeal of (old) McCain and Hillary to me is they tend to be more centrist, at least that's my perception of them. "Hope" and "Change" tend to be more idealist themes and I see that as far more toward the extremes then pitching down the middle. I could be wrong. I often am.

So this morning I myself conceded that the BMW needed new brakes. Well actually there's a light on the dashboard that tells me that. I knew this was coming and thanks to mom and dad, they supplied me with new brake parts for my birthday back in March. I think a brake job is an easy sell to the parents for a birthday gift, or any gift for that matter. Turns out I only needed pads and not the rotors too. Oops. Sorry! (Rotors last forever on the shelf and I'll have to replace them eventually)

I've decided to post a few pictures of what a brake job looks like. Not very exciting but I did want to be sure and post the last picture. That is the picture of the old and new pads side by side. People ask me car questions all the time, so here's what used up brake bads look like next to brand new ones.

Brakes a expensive to fix on a car, but for little reason really. It took me about an hour to put new pads on. If I had a garage, it would take me less. They are very simple and to add rotors would be no more then another 15-20 minutes for the fronts. Brakes are expense because they are an emotional piece to the car. You need brakes to avoid personal injury to yourself and others. There's a price premium on that. If you find a brake job that is not that expensive, it may not end up being a bad deal if all you need are pads. All pad replacements do not require rotors either. Ask to see a set of old rotors next to the new ones to determine the thickness of them. Never go for the cheap pads, they squeek.

So look at the bottom picture and remember it next time you're told you need brake pads. Brakes start wearing out the day you drive the car off the lot at the dealership. You need to make the decision with your garage as to when you feel the need to replace them and always ask to see the pads. Visually compare them to a new set.

That's my PSA for the day. The More You Know...

Done Deal

Ok it's done!! Yeah!!!!

The tile is done in the kitchen and the baseboards and trim are painted. The floor is clean and the kitchen is habitable again. You don't realize how much you miss your kitchen until it's gone. So nice to have it back.

Muchos Gracias Senior Kurt for coming over today and helping me paint. I was going a bit stir crazy. The Behr paint I originally bought was not very good, we stopped by Loew's for some Valspar and with one coat, it covered. No more Behr paint ever again.

The dogs love the new tile floors. It was nearly 100 today and they stayed very cool when I would let them in that is.

Dog hair and wet paint don't mix.

Almost There

At 9:48am this morning I finished the last of the grout that I needed to put down. Just a few quick shots, now I need to clean up the tiles and put the new baseboards on. Many thanks to Mike for coming by last night to help with the grout.

Point Of No Return

There comes a time in a home improvement project you reach the point of no return. That moment came today when I ripped up all the linoleum flooring in the kitchen. It does not come up in one piece that you can put back down. Think of trying to re-wrap a present you've ripped open with the same paper. It's not going to happen.

So the final stages of tileapoolza begins. It's the kitchen/pantry/laundry room. Many thanks to Jeremy, Jason and Ryan who assisted this morning with the appliance removal. And hats off to Ryan for ripping up the biggest piece of linoleum. I think it was the proudest moment of his life.

It's almost 11 pm and I'm pooped. I had planned on cutting and setting all the tile today, but it's not going to happen. There's no race to get this done and tile is permanent and so are your mistakes. So I'm going to shower and hit the sack.

I'm pooped.

That 70's Car

Lee Iaccoca and Barack's Unloved Ford Granada

And just as I was warming up to Barack Obama...

From the Detroit News May 7, 2007
"The car I learned to drive on was my grandfather's Ford Granada. ... It may be the worst car that Detroit ever built," the Illinois senator said in an interview with Indianapolis radio station WFBQ. "This thing was a tin can. It was during the '70s when oil had just gone up, so they were trying to compete with the Japanese," Obama said. "They wanted to keep the cars big, so they made them out of tin foil. It would rattle and shake. You basically couldn't go over 80 (miles per hour) without the thing getting out of control."

Oh, now it's personal.

First off, Detroit was not competing with the Japanese in the 1970's. They were still a blip on the radar screen at the time. The benchmark compact at the time was the Volkswagen Rabbit. Americans ate them up so much VW built a plant in Pennsylvania to build them here. (It was later sold to Chrysler). We were also still in love with the VW Beetle. Japan was coming around the bend, but would not hit their stride until the 1980's.

Most every car we can remember from the 70's was crap. Cus we can remember them. Compared to today's cars, every car from pre-1994 was crap. A computer from the 80's is crap today. Technology marches on, and it does come in bigger packages and smaller one's too. Cars are built with evolving technology in metal/plastic/design/manufacturing/electronics... etc. I could go on and on here. Tomorrow's cars are going to be built better then today's cars are, and so on.

I own two iconic cars that had their platforms and sheet metal launched in the 70's. My e24 88 635csi was originally launched in 1977 and my 1990 Mustang GT was launched in September of 1978. Both cars are iconic in that they are the primary two coupes of that period that maintained their basic sheet metal through their entire runs. The 635csi from 1977 to 1988 and the 'stang from 1979 to 1993.

Build quality? Undeniably polar opposites. Price, just the same. In 1988 my BMW cost about $49,000 and my Mustang GT would have run you about $15,000. Twenty years later, the BMW is built like a tank and the doors close with a beautiful thud like the day they were new. The Mustang, more clank/thud. The leather and trim in the BMW, amazing for a 20 year old car. The Mustang, well I had to redo it all. Both cars have about 113,000 miles on them too. One month of Mustang production was more then one year of BMW 635Csi production. So, in 1977 my BMW cost about $23,000 and Barack Obama would not find it a tin can. Other then that, most cars of the time were about $5,000 to $7000 and he would find them very much at tin can. Too bad he did not have a BMW to learn to drive in.

Ford/GM build what America wants. Dell builds what America wants. McDonald's cooks what America eats. It's our free-market economy and until the government says otherwise, we decide what to buy. Ford could not take a stand of not making large SUV's if America wanted them. GM would be glad to build America as many SUV's as we could grab. Ford's shareholders would scream bloody murder and put someone in who would build SUV's. Who are the shareholders of Ford and GM? Why most of America. These two corporate icon's are largely held by institutional investors, ie your 401k's, mutual funds, pension plans and so on. Their profits end up in your portfolio one way or another. Two large companies cannot sit down together and come up with product plans, that's collusion. Like many American corporations, they get short sited by quarterly profit reports to please Wall Street, honestly we're all to blame here folks.

Picking on Ford/GM for 70's cars is about the lowest hanging fruit I can possibly think of, even worse for someone who aspires to be president and they need to win Michigan. And on top of it, you got it wrong. And why are you going 80 mph when the national speed limit was 55 mph? Why are you taking a machine that was made to go 70 mph and complain that it doesn't feel good at 80 mph? My mountain bike is great up to 20 mph, but I sure as hell don't want to be on it at 40 mph.

You almost had me.

Blog About A Dog

ok, again nothing earth shattering going on these days. I waxed the BMW and Jeep today after a four mile hike around Town Lake with the pups. Baxter was actually spooning Logan by the end of the evening. They do love each other. And that's exactly what I was going for.

So here are some cute doggie pics. It's not always I have my camera with me. These two guys were outside most of the day and were ready to crash. So I watched some tv and they joined me on the couch. I'd like to say it's the only piece of furniture they are allowed on, but they jump on the bed in the morning to get me up.

It beats the buzzer of the alarm clock.

Casey Jordan, PMP

I'm too tired to hunt for a picture, so if I can't catch your attention with text, oh well. Next time.

Back in September I began the certification process for becoming a PMP, Project Management Professional. There are three requirements you must meet to obtain this designation from the Project Management Institute. First, work experience. Ok that's an easy requirement to meet. Second is education. Off to UT to accomplish that, done. Then comes the 200 question, four hour examination. Today I finished that. It's simply pass/fail. I passed.

I hate tests, always have, always will. I can write a paper whose beauty of prose will bring a tear to your eye, even if the subject is retirement planning. Projects, no problem. Tests, well... $#%@$#%^####$%@$%^&&&$%!!!!

Multiples choice was never like this. All answers are to be the BEST answer. Let me repeat that, the BEST answer. Oh, and you remember, out of four, two were easily dismissed and one was the best choice after logical deduction? Not here. Two or three are generally correct. I won't even get started on what the math portion is like. But you can imagine how the test sadists toyed with that.

But it matters no more. The test is done, and it's forever. (Provided I keep up the continuing education) My eyes are tired. My formerly hunched shoulders are tight.

Off to the hot tub, for it's a good night.

Pure Energy

Wind chill factor is not something that's normally brought up in Central Texas, but it sure was the topic of conversation this afternoon. My friends Kurt and Gary, along with yours truly, braved the elements to attend Hillary Clinton's last rally before Super Tuesday number two. It was 50 degrees outside but with the wind blowing the wind chill was down to the 40's. We waited outside for an hour.

The line stretched out for quite a bit despite the cold temperatures. I certainly had plenty of time to think about things while trying to use Gary's enormous shoulders as a wind block. On Sunday's Meet The Press it was clear that everyone expects Hillary to drop out if she looses Texas and/or Ohio. But given the spirit and dedication that this crowd was showing, I can see why she pushes on. It's not just her own ego, it's the support she receives. The conditions and wait made everyone uncomfortable, but the enthusiasm was still there.

Inside the venue was crowded and like a concert, there was a warm up act. No, it's not a cover band or semi-funny comedian. It's other Democratic leaders building up the crowd and selling Hillary. Selling her on many lines that she cannot say herself. But that's politics. Tearing the other person down and building yourself up. It's odd we don't interview for jobs like this, as the election process is pretty much a job interview.

No matter what you think about Hillary Clinton, she is a historical figure and it's always a experience to see someone of this stature in person. Television snippets only do so much. The roar of the crowd, the reaction of your bleacher mates and the energy are hard to duplicate. Television just doesn't do it justice.

So Hillary came on stage. She brought Chelsea with her. Along with Ted Danson and Mary Steamburgen. I don't know why those two were there, unless there's a demographic that they have undo influence on. Everyone left the stage and it was Hillary alone. Nothing new, I've watched the debates. I think I spent too much time trying to get a decent picture then listening. Drat my Nikon CoolPix for not finding a correct aperture and shutter speed for that location. I took 47 pictures and nothing really came out on all different settings.

Tomorrow is the "Texas Two-Step" primary voting. I have to caucus at 6:45pm as I have early voted. As they say in Chicago, "Vote early and vote often." Despite what you think about Texans, support for the Democratic Party does exist.

Lines to use the Men's room at a Hillary rally do not.

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!