Car inspection. Blah.
May. 29th, 2008 01:23 pmSo, I'm a Massachusetts resident. I've been a Massachusetts resident all my life-I maintained it throughout Dartmouth and WCL, voting via absentee ballot, etc. Now that I am looking into permanently (or at least semi-permanently settling) here in the DC area (and I hope to stay where I am in MD!), I will need to change my license and car registration over to Maryland once I actually make that decision to stay. For now, I'm planning on returning to MA around August or Septemberish if I don't find a job in this area, so, I'm keeping my MA residency status until then.
My car inspection is this month. Since I am out-of-state, I can have my car inspected in Maryland, send in a form along with the proof that I passed the inspection, and I'm fine then, although I would need to have my car inspected in MA within 15 days of returning to MA.
I brought my car in this morning around 9:30ish, and was told it could take until 5. I walked over to the library, hung ou there for 4 hours or so, then I walked around Bethesda for 30-45 minutes, and now I'm hanging out in the a/c at Caribou Coffee, where I am having a diet coke and a mediocre but expensive fruit cup. (4.99 for some bad grapes, tasty strawberries, and mediocre melon? Stupid healthy eating-the coffee cakes and muffins looked tasty! :P)
Anyhow, I just got a call from the Chevron station that's doing the inspection, saying that my car passed everything except for it has a bad drive belt, which apparently does the power steering, alternator, a/c, etc. They said it would cost $50 in parts and $20 for labor. I hate having my car repaired at the place that finds such a thing without first getting a second opinion, but at this point, I just want my car inspected so I can send in the form on time. I'm not sure if I'm being swindled or not, but I also don't want to bring my car back for a 2nd inspection some other day. Blah! Ah well. At least I'll have my wheels back soon!
My car inspection is this month. Since I am out-of-state, I can have my car inspected in Maryland, send in a form along with the proof that I passed the inspection, and I'm fine then, although I would need to have my car inspected in MA within 15 days of returning to MA.
I brought my car in this morning around 9:30ish, and was told it could take until 5. I walked over to the library, hung ou there for 4 hours or so, then I walked around Bethesda for 30-45 minutes, and now I'm hanging out in the a/c at Caribou Coffee, where I am having a diet coke and a mediocre but expensive fruit cup. (4.99 for some bad grapes, tasty strawberries, and mediocre melon? Stupid healthy eating-the coffee cakes and muffins looked tasty! :P)
Anyhow, I just got a call from the Chevron station that's doing the inspection, saying that my car passed everything except for it has a bad drive belt, which apparently does the power steering, alternator, a/c, etc. They said it would cost $50 in parts and $20 for labor. I hate having my car repaired at the place that finds such a thing without first getting a second opinion, but at this point, I just want my car inspected so I can send in the form on time. I'm not sure if I'm being swindled or not, but I also don't want to bring my car back for a 2nd inspection some other day. Blah! Ah well. At least I'll have my wheels back soon!
Hydrox is coming back! Huzzah!
May. 29th, 2008 11:14 amhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB121193695783324733.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Yay! They are bringing back Hydrox in August, with a change-no more trans fats! Woot! (Mind you, this is a limited time thing, supposedly, but if they do well, and I hope they will, Kellogg might bring them back for good!)
For those not in the know, Hydrox are like Oreos, but better! They have, well, a crisper taste, I suppose. I used to have these as a kid when I went to Jewish schools, since Oreos (at the time) had lard in them, whereas Hydrox were Kosher. I still like them best, though!
Hydroxes were quietly discontinued in 2003 due to lack of sales (damn you, Oreo!), but I guess the Hydrox fans were persist enough to get Hydroxes a second chance! Woohoo!
Yay! They are bringing back Hydrox in August, with a change-no more trans fats! Woot! (Mind you, this is a limited time thing, supposedly, but if they do well, and I hope they will, Kellogg might bring them back for good!)
For those not in the know, Hydrox are like Oreos, but better! They have, well, a crisper taste, I suppose. I used to have these as a kid when I went to Jewish schools, since Oreos (at the time) had lard in them, whereas Hydrox were Kosher. I still like them best, though!
Hydroxes were quietly discontinued in 2003 due to lack of sales (damn you, Oreo!), but I guess the Hydrox fans were persist enough to get Hydroxes a second chance! Woohoo!
Argh. Cookware dilemma.
May. 26th, 2008 09:13 pmI love my Calphalon 12" Frying Pan. I bought it in August 2005 from the Crate & Barrel across from the law school for about $80, on sale from an original price of $150 because it was discontinued. It is heavy, had a great non-stick finish (foreshadowing here, I know!), and did a decent job with browning.
Unfortunately, I was washing it a few days ago (by hand with a sponge, I don't put this one in the dishwasher!) and the non-stick finish is apparently coming off in a few spots. Not good. :/ I was hoping to get more than three years out of this pan!
Calpahalon DOES have a lifetime warranty for this pan, but I don't know if that is for obvious manufacturing defects or if they will claim abuse and not replace it. They evaluate the claim if one mails the pan into them, and you have to mail it in on one's own nickel. Given the cost of shipping, is it worth mailing them the pan, or should I try finding a cheaper frying pan to replace it? It will probably cost at least $15-$20 to mail it to Calphalon, with no guarantee they'll help me, and Ikea and Target sell cheap frying pans for around $20-25. On the other hand, this was an expensive frying pan, high-quality, I liked it, and I was comfortable with it. On the other other hand, I don't want to be throwing money at a sunk cost (don't throw good money after bad and all).
Anyone have any suggestions?
Unfortunately, I was washing it a few days ago (by hand with a sponge, I don't put this one in the dishwasher!) and the non-stick finish is apparently coming off in a few spots. Not good. :/ I was hoping to get more than three years out of this pan!
Calpahalon DOES have a lifetime warranty for this pan, but I don't know if that is for obvious manufacturing defects or if they will claim abuse and not replace it. They evaluate the claim if one mails the pan into them, and you have to mail it in on one's own nickel. Given the cost of shipping, is it worth mailing them the pan, or should I try finding a cheaper frying pan to replace it? It will probably cost at least $15-$20 to mail it to Calphalon, with no guarantee they'll help me, and Ikea and Target sell cheap frying pans for around $20-25. On the other hand, this was an expensive frying pan, high-quality, I liked it, and I was comfortable with it. On the other other hand, I don't want to be throwing money at a sunk cost (don't throw good money after bad and all).
Anyone have any suggestions?
Is politics an OK LJ subject?
May. 26th, 2008 01:46 pmSo, as I said, I'm pretty new to LJing. My impression from reading others' LJ is that is more of a public diary than a blog-is it a netiquette violation to use LJ to discuss current events?
I thought to ask after seeing this CNN headline: "Bill Clinton: 'Cover up' hiding Hillary Clinton's chances." Beyond my belief that this is patently untrue and an example of the Clinton campaign once again employing a shifting metric after losing the previous one, I am amazed that Bill Clinton has the chutzpah to toss around coverup accusations!
Ooh-and one more LJ netiquette question-is it preferred to have one, long LJ entry on multiple topics, or to break them up into topic posts?
I ask because on a wholly unrelated note, empanadas! I finally found a place that sells Panas empanadas. Panas is based in Rockville and makes all kinds of tasty gourmet empanadas, including my favorites, the Popeye (Sauteed Spinach and Onions, Golden Raisins, Toasted Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese) and the BrieArt (Brie Cheese, Mushrooms & Artichokes Hearts). The problem is that you have to buy a lot if you get it directly from them. Well, I stumbled upon the Bethesda Coop today while looking for fresh veggies (I had never been there before) and lo and behold, they sell Panas empanadas. Huzzah! I just had one Popeye and one BrieArt (and a salad) for lunch. They were tasty! DC folks-you really should try them, if you haven't yet.
I thought to ask after seeing this CNN headline: "Bill Clinton: 'Cover up' hiding Hillary Clinton's chances." Beyond my belief that this is patently untrue and an example of the Clinton campaign once again employing a shifting metric after losing the previous one, I am amazed that Bill Clinton has the chutzpah to toss around coverup accusations!
Ooh-and one more LJ netiquette question-is it preferred to have one, long LJ entry on multiple topics, or to break them up into topic posts?
I ask because on a wholly unrelated note, empanadas! I finally found a place that sells Panas empanadas. Panas is based in Rockville and makes all kinds of tasty gourmet empanadas, including my favorites, the Popeye (Sauteed Spinach and Onions, Golden Raisins, Toasted Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese) and the BrieArt (Brie Cheese, Mushrooms & Artichokes Hearts). The problem is that you have to buy a lot if you get it directly from them. Well, I stumbled upon the Bethesda Coop today while looking for fresh veggies (I had never been there before) and lo and behold, they sell Panas empanadas. Huzzah! I just had one Popeye and one BrieArt (and a salad) for lunch. They were tasty! DC folks-you really should try them, if you haven't yet.
A week of crappy rhetorical apologia
Aug. 29th, 2007 07:45 pmCome on. The apology statements of Michael Vick and Republican Senator Larry Craig were just absurd and horrendous from a rhetorical standpoint.
Let's quickly get Senator Craig's laughable statement of Tuesday August 28th out of the way. Who the hell accidentally pleads guilty to soliciting an undercover cop for sex in a public bathroom? He's a US Senator. Does he think that he looks better when he says that he did not consult with a lawyer, friend, or family? He only looks MORE guilty! Pleading guilty is an "overreaction"? Bullfeathers.
If he was innocent, he would have fought it. He would have have consulted with a lawyer. C'mon!
The notion that a US Senator chose to plead guilty by mistake is patently absurd! Senator Craig may well have been hounded by the Idaho Stateman, I really hadn't been paying much attention to that until now, but if you have been a subject of a "witchhunt" by a newspaper that wants to nail you for being a closeted homosexual, don't you fight such a criminal charge more vigorously instead of pleading guilty?
OK, moving on Vick the Dick.... I must confess that I do not understand the Michael Vick apologists who complain that the outcry against Vick is racist; that there is a hullabaloo only because he is a successful black man.
I don't care about his skin color, I'd be every bit as angry if it was Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger or Peyton Manning or Joe Montana.
I like dogs, and I hate dogfighting. I certainly hate someone who electrocute, strangled, and tortured at least eight dogs that we now know of.
Why is the NAACP rallying around him saying that he should be allowed to play football again?
I certainly acknowledge that a lot of poor, African-Americans are railroaded through the criminal justice system. Heck, a lot of poor people in general are railroaded! Vick wasn't. Michael Vick could hire just about any attorney he wanted. He pled guilty because he was guilty and wanted to try avoid getting hit with the max.
Moving on to the Vick's apology, it was utterly pathetic and not in the rhetorical sense of trying to invoke pathos in the Aristotelian sense. He has not admitted with specificity as to what he did. Read or watch his statement. He apologizes for lying, and for letting people down, but where does he apologizes for torturing dogs for fun and/or profit? Any acceptance of responsibility is equally lacking from his plea deal with prosecutors. I do not understand why some in the media seem so impressed by Vick's "unscripted statement." How can you ask for forgiveness without actually admitting to the underlying wrongful conduct? And as long I mentioned the "unscripted statement" that some media analysts have gushed over, lets note that he undoubtedly wrote it in advance and spent hours practicing with his lawyers if not PR specialists. The idea that he got up on the stage and just spoke off the cuff is as laughable as the text that he spoke.
One of his excuses during his statement was that he was young and immature. Well, how old do you have to be to know that cruelly and viciously killing animals for your own amusement is wrong?
To cover all of his bases, he threw in a quick, one line about finding Jesus during this experience. Anyone else feeling skeptical?
And lastly, it is far too little, far too late. He could have admitted what he did and apologized months ago. Instead, he lied to the public, lied to his friends, lied to his teammates, lied to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and lied to the Falcon's owner, and only admitted the truth when the evidence was so clearly against him that he could no longer deny it. And by admitted the truth, he admitted he was guilty, but he still has not acknowledged what he is guilty of.
He should not receive forgiveness without admitting what he did that requires forgiveness. The only things he apologized for, letting us down and lying, were the least of his sins.
Let's quickly get Senator Craig's laughable statement of Tuesday August 28th out of the way. Who the hell accidentally pleads guilty to soliciting an undercover cop for sex in a public bathroom? He's a US Senator. Does he think that he looks better when he says that he did not consult with a lawyer, friend, or family? He only looks MORE guilty! Pleading guilty is an "overreaction"? Bullfeathers.
If he was innocent, he would have fought it. He would have have consulted with a lawyer. C'mon!
The notion that a US Senator chose to plead guilty by mistake is patently absurd! Senator Craig may well have been hounded by the Idaho Stateman, I really hadn't been paying much attention to that until now, but if you have been a subject of a "witchhunt" by a newspaper that wants to nail you for being a closeted homosexual, don't you fight such a criminal charge more vigorously instead of pleading guilty?
OK, moving on Vick the Dick.... I must confess that I do not understand the Michael Vick apologists who complain that the outcry against Vick is racist; that there is a hullabaloo only because he is a successful black man.
I don't care about his skin color, I'd be every bit as angry if it was Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger or Peyton Manning or Joe Montana.
I like dogs, and I hate dogfighting. I certainly hate someone who electrocute, strangled, and tortured at least eight dogs that we now know of.
Why is the NAACP rallying around him saying that he should be allowed to play football again?
I certainly acknowledge that a lot of poor, African-Americans are railroaded through the criminal justice system. Heck, a lot of poor people in general are railroaded! Vick wasn't. Michael Vick could hire just about any attorney he wanted. He pled guilty because he was guilty and wanted to try avoid getting hit with the max.
Moving on to the Vick's apology, it was utterly pathetic and not in the rhetorical sense of trying to invoke pathos in the Aristotelian sense. He has not admitted with specificity as to what he did. Read or watch his statement. He apologizes for lying, and for letting people down, but where does he apologizes for torturing dogs for fun and/or profit? Any acceptance of responsibility is equally lacking from his plea deal with prosecutors. I do not understand why some in the media seem so impressed by Vick's "unscripted statement." How can you ask for forgiveness without actually admitting to the underlying wrongful conduct? And as long I mentioned the "unscripted statement" that some media analysts have gushed over, lets note that he undoubtedly wrote it in advance and spent hours practicing with his lawyers if not PR specialists. The idea that he got up on the stage and just spoke off the cuff is as laughable as the text that he spoke.
One of his excuses during his statement was that he was young and immature. Well, how old do you have to be to know that cruelly and viciously killing animals for your own amusement is wrong?
To cover all of his bases, he threw in a quick, one line about finding Jesus during this experience. Anyone else feeling skeptical?
And lastly, it is far too little, far too late. He could have admitted what he did and apologized months ago. Instead, he lied to the public, lied to his friends, lied to his teammates, lied to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and lied to the Falcon's owner, and only admitted the truth when the evidence was so clearly against him that he could no longer deny it. And by admitted the truth, he admitted he was guilty, but he still has not acknowledged what he is guilty of.
He should not receive forgiveness without admitting what he did that requires forgiveness. The only things he apologized for, letting us down and lying, were the least of his sins.
It was my intention to leave this blog blank and only use it for the purpose of non-anonymous commenting. Nevertheless, I'm not one to back away from a challenge, and since Brooks was kind enough to tag me, I feel mildly obligated to fill this thing out.
List Your Favorite Six Songs (and no, I'm not tagging anyone else)
1. Doors from the rather obscure musical, Closer Than Ever. I really like the harmonies, enough to forgive them rhyming "corridor" with "horridor".
2. The Battle of Evermore by Led Zeppelin. I'm a sucker for a well-played mandolin. And good voices. And Lord of the Ring references.
3. Call and Answer by Barenaked Ladies. Great song, great voices, great band name!
4. I Feel Love by Blue Man Group with Venus Hum. It's a fun song.
5. Pinball Wizard by the Who
6. Gone 'Til November by the Stanford Harmonics. A brilliant a cappella version of this song, that's just beautifully done.
Keep in mind, of course, that I could have listed 100 favorite songs and still leave many of my favorites not touched upon. There's plenty of folk and celtic music, in particular, that is absent from the above list....
~Jedi
List Your Favorite Six Songs (and no, I'm not tagging anyone else)
1. Doors from the rather obscure musical, Closer Than Ever. I really like the harmonies, enough to forgive them rhyming "corridor" with "horridor".
2. The Battle of Evermore by Led Zeppelin. I'm a sucker for a well-played mandolin. And good voices. And Lord of the Ring references.
3. Call and Answer by Barenaked Ladies. Great song, great voices, great band name!
4. I Feel Love by Blue Man Group with Venus Hum. It's a fun song.
5. Pinball Wizard by the Who
6. Gone 'Til November by the Stanford Harmonics. A brilliant a cappella version of this song, that's just beautifully done.
Keep in mind, of course, that I could have listed 100 favorite songs and still leave many of my favorites not touched upon. There's plenty of folk and celtic music, in particular, that is absent from the above list....
~Jedi