A Tree Falling in the Forest

Well, it seems little baby Charlie is eager to make his entrance to the world. Our one week has been reduced to one day. D’oh! Well, we were as ready as we were going to be anyway. Some more pictures of his room… but more exciting pictures to follow tomorrow!

This weekend I made a “Hot Wheels lamp” for the baby’s room. No doubt, when he is old enough to walk and grab, I’ll have to consider moving the Hot Wheels higher or take them out for a while. Until then, he has a cool lamp with lots of colors that is fun to look at. As you can probably guess, there are other car related items in the room. I will post more pictures in the next few days.

Something must be wrong with eBay! Nothing could explain why nobody has placed a bid on this amazing piece of ATV (or rather ATC) history. $2,795 is a small price to pay for a machine that is as safe as a Corvair and has the performance of a VW Bus. Those fenders are metal, not flimsy plastic! Come on people!

If Polaris puts the Revolver into production and gets it approved for road use in the US, I will definitely get one. I could probably pay for it with the gas I would save on my daily commute. (I could probably even drive in the HOV lanes.)

Apparently, Polaris worked with KTM to put this prototype together. In Europe, people convert traditional ATVs into "quadriycles" for road use. Polaris and KTM built the Revolver as a purpose built machine.

The only thing that would be better is if Honda came out with one of its own.

A good op-ed about the former VP's movie making endeavor...

Jonah Goldberg: Seeing red over 'green scare'

"As Richard Lindzen, professor of meteorology at MIT, recently lamented in the Wall Street Journal: "Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their grant funds disappear, their work derided and themselves libeled as industry stooges, scientific hacks or worse. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science." "

I have been to Baja Fresh for lunch two times in the last six months. Both times the helpful order taker asked me my name to complete my order. "Rob" I say. Both times, when handed the receipt it read "Ralph."

I am just going to assume he misheard me (twice) and is not making a value judgment on my appearance, social skills, or grammar.

Last night, I had a very vivid dream that I was an engineer driving a train. I was slowing the train when a massive derailment ensued and the train cars stacked up like dominoes behind the locomotive.

1. This could have something to do with a movie my wife and I recently rented. "Derailed" a very predictable movie with two real surprises and multiple disturbing moments. Not a big fan. The tagline: "They Never Saw it Coming." I find that very hard to believe.

2. A more ominous reason could have something to do with thoughts and discussions about the future (i.e. career, locale, etc.) -- Stupid Dickens like foreshadowing subconscious.

Preparations for the new addition to the family continue. Our most recent efforts include mastering the use of a child safety seat. I learned long ago that instruction manuals are a good thing, however the manual for our safety seat was obviously written by lawyers and then edited by accountants. None the less, my well educated wife and I were able to translate the poorly written instructions into a safe environment for experiment bear number 1A. I was twarted in my efforts to send experimental bear number 1A and the SUV style stoller on a trip down the concrete stairway test (ala The Untouchables).

From Wiki - "Patriot's Day (sometimes spelled "Patriots' Day" or without the apostrophe) is a holiday in the U.S. states of Massachusetts, Maine, and (to a lesser extent) Wisconsin. It is on April 19, in honor of the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which is generally considered to be the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. In recent years it has generally been observed on the Monday nearest that date, to provide a three-day long weekend. Since 1969, the holiday has been observed on the third Monday in April.

My lovely wife, who claims to be a southerner, was not familiar with the tradition of Patriot's Day. My grandfather lives in Concord, Mass, so I spent many Patriot's Days standing in the town square for the annual parade. Understandably, Concord takes Patriot's Day seriously. It is a pretty little town. (Pictures) Probably a little different than when I was a kid, but the pictures look the same.

Talk about a tough parking policy.

Got a better caption?

No, not my dog Shelby, an actual Shelby Mustang from Hertz Rental. USAToday has a story about the return of the Shelby GT-H Mustang.

This is how the conversation would go if I was at the rental counter.

Rental Manager: Are you over 25?
Me: Yup.
Rental Manager: Do you know where you are going?
Me: Does it matter?
Rental Manager: Do you want the optional damage coverage?
Me: Is it possible to get that coverage with no deductible?

The two cities are Concord, NH and Montpelier, VT. The tale is told by the new Census Bureau data that shows Vermont has the highest per capita taxes in the nation and New Hampshire has one of the lowest. Vermont's per capita amount is more than double that of New Hampshire. One more reason why I will never live in the 802 area code.

The best show on television is headed for the silver screen. If you missed The Simpsons last night, you probably missed the new trailer.

I look forward to seeing The Simpsons in movie form, but I fear it is also a sign that this great show may be nearing the end of its historic run on TV.

Hopefully, it just another creative way to support Matt Greoning's expensive Faberge egg habit.