Save America

Since my uncle put it so eloquently, I'm cribbing it from him and pasting verbatim. He's a lifer at Ford, 33+ years and born and raised in Dearborn, MI...the family grew up in the house where Henry Ford's chauffer used to live. For all my own qualms and misgivings about the American auto industry (I, too, have said "they've done it to themselves"), I think it is ABSURD to let a homegrown, American-as-America-is industry die like this, especially when we bailed out Wall St and insurers who knowingly made bad decisions and kept doing it until the bottom fell out.

America is Cars, America built this industry, and I think America is willing to (finally, hopefully) bring it into the modern era. Please don't let the auto industry die. Otherwise, I really don't know what we'll do. It will touch every single sector even more than the financial industry did - the ramifications could be worse on a real level than the banking crisis.

But perhaps the more pressing question, is, how did we come to be in such dire straits in the first place? Don't have an answer for that, and will save my opinions for later.

Friends and family,

I'm not much of a political activist, but I am writing today to ask for your help. This week, Congress will be asked to vote on a financial assistance package for American automotive manufacturers that will allow GM, in particular, to continue to operate. I've been frustrated by the lack of, or misinformation being spewed by politicians and talk show hosts over the past several days. I am writing to give you the facts, and ask for your help. If you agree, please forward this e-mail to your friends, and please write your congressman or senator expressing your support. (E-mail addresses can be found at www.congress.org.) I am particularly disturbed by how many Republicans have made this a partisan issues. Most have not bothered to learn the facts, and are strictly voting along party lines. Even those from Ohio, which is surprising given the manufacturing base there. So, here are some things to consider:

• Some say we should let GM and other manufacturers go into bankruptcy so they can fix their problems. That simply won't happen. Recent customer research indicates consumers will not buy cars from a bankrupt manufacturer, so sales will dry up. If sales dry up, GM goes bankrupt, then their suppliers go bankrupt. If their suppliers go bankrupt, Ford (and Chrysler) can no longer build cars, and it goes bankrupt as well. The manufacturers will not come out the other side -- they will eventually be dissolved. Independent studies estimate that if GM goes bankrupt, the ripple through the industry will result in no cars being built (by domestics or Japanese transplants) for at least a year. Imagine what that will do for the economy.
• The impact to the economy will be felt broadly. 1 in 10 Americans are employed in jobs dependent on the auto industry. This includes suppliers, dealers, nearby restaurant owners, etc. Local and national government stand to lose billions in tax revenue, which will affect all Americans. In addition, the government will have to take on unemployment, pension guarantees, and health care for all those former automotive retirees and employees. Bloomberg News estimates the cost to the American economy will be $200 Billion in the first three years. This will be funded by all taxpayers, or America goes deeper in debt. $25 Billion in loans seems a small price to pay to avoid a $200 Billion near term cost.
• Critics say the American Auto industry "deserves to die", and a loan is "throwing good money after bad". Really?
• They say we haven't invested in new technology. Really? Next month, Ford launches its 3rd Hybrid, which gets 6 mpg better than the comparably-sized Toyota Camry. In one year, GM will launch the Chevy Volt, the first plug-in hybrid available to mainstream consumers.
• They say "they make cars Americans don't want". Really? GM and Ford combined sales continue to significantly exceed Toyota and Honda combined.
• They make big gas guzzlers. Really? Yes, we make big vehicles customers need! The contractor who built your house needed a truck. So did the farmer who harvested your food, or raised livestock. So did the plumber, the landscaper, the carpet layer. Ambulances? Built from Ford chassis. Delivery vans? Not from the Japanese. And in segments where the Japanese do make big trucks and SUVs, the domestics get better fuel economy.
• American manufacturers have poor quality. Really? Consumer Reports and JD Power both have confirmed Ford's quality is now on par with Honda and Toyota.
• American cars get poor fuel economy. Really? GM and Ford are best in class or tied with best in many vehicles categories. Further evidence: Ford will introduce the 2010 Fusion this week that get 2-3 mpg better than Camry and Accord.
• American manufacturers have not done enough to restructure. Don't know. What I do know is that we have let go approximately 40%of our work force in the last couple years, have reduced costs by $5 Billion a year, and have given up pay raises and matching 401K donations for the future. Of course more can always be done.
• Auto Workers receive unfairly high benefits and health care. This has changed a lot over the years, with dramatic reductions in benefits. Since the last contract, it is estimated UAW worker benefits are now in-line with transplant workers. And while we may have paid more than typical benefits in the past, it kept the cost of healthcare, retirement, unemployment, etc for these employees off the government's (taxpayer's) bill. The Americans don't have a plan to improve. I can't speak for any others, but at Ford, we will be leveraging our global vehicles to bring our best product line-up to the US that I've seen, and our plan allows us to make money, even on small cars.
• What will the elimination of American automotive manufacturer's mean to national defense? We can't be a superpower without a manufacturing base. The automotive industry and its suppliers are the backbone of manufacturing in this country. If they are eliminated, along with the tool and die makers, engineers, laborers, etc. that go with them, who will build our tanks/humvees/guns/planes/missiles if we need them in a war? Will we ask China? Korea? Eastern Europe? What if they are who we are fighting?
• And last, beware of personal agendas -- Some of the congressmen who are the most strongly opposed to providing aid stand to benefit personally. Clearly the State of Michigan representatives are voicing support, and all recognize Detroit stands to benefit. However, a Republican Senator from Alabama, who has been one of the most vocal against the package, has Mercedes, Hyundai, and Honda plants in his state. If the domestics go under, the foreign companies in his state stand to benefit. This is something he failed to mention on Meet the Press as he trashed the American manufacturers.
• Have we made mistakes in the past? Absolutely. Should we have been quicker to adapt? Yes. And, one could argue we (GM/Ford) are still not doing everything we can to improve our competitiveness. If so, provisions could be placed in the funding to drive further improvements. Suggesting that funding not be given to "teach us a lesson" is a disgrace. Even if that were true, given the state of the nation's economy, now is not the time to let the industry fail.
• The American automotive industry needs your help to secure a $25 Billion loan, not a handout. AIG, just one insurance company, has already been given $150 Billion and counting. The U.S. spends $25 Billion in a few months in Iraq. Is $25 Billion really too much to ask to save the future of an entire industry?
• Given the complexity of issues faced by congress, they cannot be expected to be knowledgeable on every issue. They should, however, be expected to be open minded and willing to learn the facts. Please encourage your congressman/senator to do so, and voice support for the package if you agree.

Thank you for taking the time to read my point of view

Michael Pollan is the Smartest Man Alive

And this, my friends, is why I made the decision to eat as little meat as possible. Michael Pollan opened my eyes. He is my guru. Try to read The Omnivore's Dilemma and NOT change. I dare you.

No matter how green you are, if you eat meat like the average American (190 lbs a year, according to the above article, ick!), you're contributing to global warming. I'll go hug a tree while you try and shop at your local farmer's market.

I made veggie chili 2 weeks ago consisting of come canned tomatoes and sauce, and 10 other veggies fresh from the farmer's market. I have to say, it's probably the tastiest chili I've ever had. I'm not a strict vegatarian. But I do limit myself...and would rather eat a slice of bacon or piece of chicken when it comes from a locally-raised source.

Peer pressure made me post

I got a few jabs this weekend from the Kopelmans at my lack of posting, so I've been kicking a few things around in the ol' noodle for a bit. In no particular order:

1) I saw a dude riding a bike and smoking a cigarette. The ash was about 4 inches long. That can't be an enjoyable way to smoke, but I guess that guy was desperate for some nicotine. I don't know if this is worse or better than those bikers on cell phones. Bikers plural. I want to toss a stick into their spokes. Do they realize how douchey they look?

2) Today waiting for the bus, I saw a rather elderly lady who was dressed to the nines in her wool hat with brim, sharp tweed jacket and....leather pants. Yes, folks, an easily 70+ year-old-lady in leather pants. On Michigan Ave. Also waiting for the bus.

3) I think ugly freaky people are the new black. They're everywhere. I'm sick of them.

4) I'm turning into an old person sooner than I thought. I prefer low-sodium foods now, especially Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper soup. mmmmm.

5) What is with that crazy-ass wiry black hair that grows out of the middle of my neck? It usually comes out of hiding once every 2 months, but one day it's not there, and the next day it's about 6 inches long. Where does it come from? Does it grow internally and break through the skin? Is my esophagus hairy?

6) Entourage has jumped the shark. However, thank god for Mad Men and Little Britain USA. It's brought Sunday night back to a happy time.

7) I love yoga. It's amazing. And I have arm definition again because of it. Woo!

Discuss.

Blargh

Officially braindead. Luckily, officially on vacation. Wonder if one has something to do with the other.

I do have to give some love to Chicago, now that I'm a 90-day resident. It's such a great town. My commute takes me down Lakeshore Drive every morning. And the ability to watch the sun rise over Lake Michigan on my way to work every morning definitely does something for my soul.

Tomorrow, I head to the other side of the Lake, in Michigan, north of Traverse City on Grand Traverse Bay (for those of you familiar with the hand map of MI, it's about 3/4 of the way up Mr. Pointer). It's my favorite place in the wide world. A week on the beach is just what the doctor ordered.

Also, Sephora is my new favorite online shipper. Somehow, UPS left a package from Sephora in my unlocked lobby and it's MIA (aka stolen). I called, UPS said I would need to call the shipper (Sephora) to "start an investigation" and that did not sound positive. I called Sephora, they talked to UPS, and offered to send me a new package. Um, ok. Awesome. I LOVE YOU SEPHORA!

Me=officially old

Flipping through the channels this evening, I started watching "Clueless" and got all happy because it's one of my favorite movies. Then I thought about it, and I realize it was made 13 years ago, in 1995. When it was my favorite movie when I was in high school.

Yep, the 30 club is kind of a bitch.

Can I get a...for universal healthcare

Long story short, I have to get some personal health care. This after I just denied coverage from my new job for 2008. Thank you, Steve Truman at Anthem, for screwing me over.

I think I have found a decent alternative here in Illinois. It will cost a bit more for less coverage, but I'm a healthy person. This is where all the what-ifs come in. And then I start thinking, what if something happens...then do I want to pay a $2500 deductible, or $5000. It's like trying to decide between the lesser of two evils. Never fun, never rewarding, and stuck rolling around in the back of my head like a broken record. I can't focus on making the decision, but it doesn't quite leave the old noodle, either. I sit there, unfocused.

I think I'll go read some of the new James Frey book right now. The people in there (not to mention Mr Frey, whom I love anyway) have some way more effed up issues than the difference between $2500 in health care deductibles.

Also, like anything that you need "approval" for, I freak out that it won't happen. Then what? Due to a previous medial condition that happened 15 years ago, I can never be without coverage. Barack/Hillary, please save us.

And my million-dollar question - why can't health insurance start focusing on preventative care? I'm sick to death of paying out the schnoz when I work out 4-5 days a week and have been doing it for more than a decade, walk 2 miles on my commute to work each day, and lead a relatively healthy lifestyle, yet I am supporting the fatwads who troll around Wal-Mart on their obesity chariots buying loads of processed foods and eat every third meal off the Dollar Menu at McDonalds. Oh, and not to mention the fact that health care companies are like Big Oil and Big Pharma - making records profits, while not actually really helping anyone, or coming up with a plan for the future.

Last random thought...my refrigerator moans. It sounds like someone is having sex in there. Pickles and apples, away from each other!

Ladies, puh-LEASE

Come on, ladies. What are you thinking? How does Drew Peterson keep hooking up with the 20-something ladies? It must be the mo-stache (short for molester mustache, dead giveway in thie linked pic). Or maybe it's his van with the round window on the side, with coyotes painted on the back. I mean, he must have one of those, right? Very kidnapper-esque. Also, the man TANS at a tanning salon. He's admitted this is where he met his latest "friend." I mean, it's not LA, dude. You're in a southern suburb of Illinois, a solid hour outside Chicago. Practically farmland.

The dude creeps me out on every level. He's just this side of a pedophile. So what gives?

Something wicked this way comes

This poor globe is disturbed right now, and it's starting to freak me out a bit. Let's recap some of the major news in the past week:

1. Cyclone in Myanmar - possibly 100,000 people dead. And they're just now, a week later, accepting aid. Never has American freedom seemed so sweet.
2. Tornadoes in the Midwest - we're on par for the 5th deadliest tornado season since they started keeping track.
3. Massive 7.9 earthquake in China - 10,000 feared dead.
4. Food shortages.
5. Record oil prices.
6. New fighting in Gaza.
7. Rain, rain, rain. Do the locusts come next?

What have we done to piss off this planet? Oh, wait.... SUVs, material excess, fossil fuel consumption...

On a positive note, the Red Wings are kicking some serious ass in the Playoffs this year. LET'S GO WINGS!

OMFG I'm a sucker

OK, I first saw the new "Gossip Girl" ads last week, just about the time I was realizing I thought I had actually missed the "new" episode (not to mention the fact that I missed the previous 2 in January, so I'll come in Monday absolutely clueless).

I'll just come clean - this is one of my few trashy pleasures. I loathe reality TV, as well as tabloids, and refuse to watch or pay for that drivel. Maybe I'm a snobbish moralist. However, "Gossip Girl" is my one completely trashy allowance. I love the show. It whimsically reminds me of growing up watching "90210" (don't get me started about the comeback because I don't know if I'm for or against).

But back to the point of my post...I have to say, I adore musical marketing these days. Apple really brought it back for commercials, and I have Google'd and then downloaded my fair share of commerials tuneage. So the new OMFG (which was recently PG'd up to OMG) "Gossip Girl" commercial just made me download the new Kills song "Sour Cherry." It's good - or maybe just sexy because it's attached, in my mind, to the commercial. Regardless, it will help power me through a run.

Ch-ch-changes

Rarely do I post anything highly personal on here, so here's a share for ya'll. Seems I know a lot of people going through some major life shit right now. Must be that 7-year itch or the approach of the big 3-0, but shit is going down (all in a good way)! RFW just switched jobs and is going to art school, hurrah! The Kopelmans are moving to the Midwest (now I get to see them more!). Unsouthern Belle had Lasik! My friend Jason started a new gig, his own business taking a sidecar to the new full-time rotation.

And then there's me. In about 14 hours, I will be a Chicago resident. This past week I've kind of had to pinch myself, and thank my lucky stars about a million times. I know that I made this giant leap on some unknown faith and major self-esteem high back in November that leaving Manhattan would be easy and getting a job in Chicago would be a piece of cake. While February basically licked my ass as far as just being a downright shitty month (housebound for 3 days, snow or rain all 29 days, damn you leap year!, temps in the teens for most of the month), I made it through, and in retrospect, getting a job all worked out much easier than I should have ever expected or hoped for. There's a big person out in the universe looking out for me. I thank you.

So, riding a wave of nostalgia/excitement/nervousness/etc., I ride off into the wild Midwest yonder tomorrow morning. I swear that moving to NYC at age 22, knowing 2 people, and earning a pittance (literally, I worked in publishing, my starting salary was laughable), was a million times easier on a whole different level. I had this insane overconfidence, or delusions or grandeur, or both that made me Teflon to worry - I saw it as a giant adventure. I have no doubt this next phase of my life will be wonderful...but this feels more for keeps. I guess because I moved to NYC knowing I was never going to stay forever made it all the easier to just take things as they came and have the best time possible, knowing it would end at some point.

So to NYC, while I don't necessarily miss your noise, dirt, grime, annoyances, I miss what you gave me. A group of amazing people who have truly shaped who I am today and a life that I lived to the fullest. I was one of the lucky ones who got to build a life there when I was young enough to have no worries and I will always have it. It's a city that will chew you up and spit you out if you're not cut from the right cloth. I'm glad the coat fit me for 7 years.

Here's to a new one....

Attention, Drivers

Just a refresher, drivers, for those of you who are too preoccupied to pay attention anymore. Left lane is for passing. Right lane is for driving.

Again, LEFT LANE, PASSING. Meaning, you should NOT (and especially if you are driving less than 10 mph over the speed limit) drive along in it like it's your own personal lane. You should refrain to use it solely so you can chatter away on your cell phone without having to think about passing on the left. I remember taking drivers ed and sitting in a classroom for several hours, 3 times a week, including Saturdays, for 2 weeks or a month. Granted, maybe I was one of the few who actually paid attention. But that's a credit, since I am an excellent driver, an aware driver, a driver you need on the road to watch out for all the idiots who have no idea what they're doing. NOTE: I scored a 99% on my written test, only missed one. Holla.

Having driven more than 1600 miles in the past 3 weeks (to and fro Chicago and Detroit for job interviews and apartment searching), I have witnessed the horrible driving skills of Americans. Yet another thing to be disgraced with about my country. Add it to the list.

Ho fo' sho'

Well, here's a good message for young girls. If you want to be rich beyond your wildest dreams, just go ahead and be a whore. That's what is happening to Eliot Spitzer's ho...she got a $1 million offer from Hustler, and there's bound to be more where that came from. And don't forget her foray into the "Girls Gone Wild" empire when she turned 18. Lovely lady, I'm sure.

Such great role models...thank you, tabloid culture, for destroying decorum in this world.

A 90+ badass

Jack LaLane is a major badass, and basically my hero. Here is a man, who, at 93 (93!!!) looks like he's about 60. As this picture from the New York Times shows, the man has more strength and stamina than most people, and can probably hold his own among Olympic caliber-athletes.

If there was ever a reason to get fit, Jack is the poster child. I want to age gracefully. Here's my role model.

Suck it, snow

I cannot continue to wake up every morning and see snow on the ground. Even if it's just an inch, like today.

Come on, March, you know you wanna be spring-like. Let the flowers grow and the sun shine. I know Smarch is Smarch, and wind and rain, fine. But the white shit needs to go.

Hilarious

I think these ladies are my new faves....

Quarterlife

Granted, I am beyond my quarterlife at this point, but am still in the throes of the crisis (probably more so than ever right now). So flipping through the channels last night I came across the new NBC show "quarterlife." It was written by the guy who did "My So-Called Life" and since I was a giant fan of that show, I thought I'd tune in for a few to see if he nailed it.

Oh. My. GOD. The show was horribly, unbelievably awful. It was just so phony and angst-y, I couldn't even bear it. And it reminded me nothing of my life at 25. "How I Met Your Mother" does a better job of that (with some laughs to boot. NOTE: If you have not watched HIMYM yet, do not pass go, do not collect $200, TUNE IN - Mondays, CBS, 8 PM).

But I couldn't even like the characters. I turned it off after about 10 minutes, hoping the whole time that it would get better, but it just got worse. It's set in LA, so has the typical players - magazine editor, actor, film students turned video producers, all over-talented, under-employed people. The only thing I could relate to was that they lived in a smallish apartment (thank you, at least, for being realistic about that). But the under-decor was almost too much, especially since it was an apartment shared by females. It looked more like a bachelor pad. And of course, everyone is in love with someone they shouldn't be. And the main character is a "writer" and video blogs about her life and her friends on some Beta site she invented called "quarterlife." Way to lamely bring technology into the mix.

So why did I just spend an entire post ranting about a show I never want to watch again? Because I hope to god that this does not become the "generational" show that MS-CL did - that show was realistic and dealt with some real issues. This show is not (can anything set in LA really be, come on?!), and just seems whiny. And if his show is going to make the rest of the population think that this is how people near my age act, I'm appalled.

Ralph Nader is...

a giant steaming pile of shit. Thanks, Ralph. With your help, we might luck out with a repeat of the 2000 election, when you stole the race from the Democrats.

All your consumer goodnik-ness has been lost, especially if you force another GOP in the big house. Quit while you're ahead.

Plastic Surgery Gone Bad

Please Donatella, stop with the surgery, Botox, etc. Otherwise you'll have to accept that you're an unemployed Muppet (from the looks of you these days).

Snow - close 'er down

I'm officially sick of winter in the suburbs. It makes me realize that I must live somewhere you can walk around where sidewalks are shoveled and commerce can be had easily when bad weather rolls in.

I've been housebound for two days this week, meaning I did not leave to work out, or do anything. It's just not worth the hassle to try and drive around, especially when the temps have been in the teens and 20s and the ice on top of the snow is treacherous. And our street is the last one in the city to get plowed. Luckily I work from home, so this has not affected my livelihood (although Yahoo! did the other day. To their partial credit, they fixed it, but that was scary).

I'm jonesin' for some Szechaun chicken for lunch today, and it just won't happen. The place is too far, and the only thing that can be delivered around here is pizza. And, sorry Domino's, I don't want it.

I do, however, enjoy the mob mentality at the grocery stores the day before a big storm. It's like Armageddon....the shelves are wiped clean. It feels like you wake up in Whoville on Christmas morning ("...The Grinch even took the last can of Who-Hash").

Also, I miss you, NYC, because you never let a little nor'easter get you down. And if you did, you slapped on your snow boots and walked to the park. There is definitely something to be said about underground transportation as well.

Please spring. Come soon.

The douchebagginess begins

Seriously, how unoriginally lame can one be?

And later, the story of AVD and how it became a tradition.....

On purpose?

So why is it that every picture of a campaigning candidate is Hilary with some unfortunate candid look on her face. Like this, from the New York Times today.

Where are the funny glimpses of Barak or McCain? Is it because she's a woman? Or is it because she's a polarizing woman? Or is it because her tough facade is hard to crack, and the media wants to do all they can to abuse her? I mean, what woman likes a bad picture of herself? (Britney Spears, you are hereby removed from this conversation).

Is the media ganging up on her? Hilary is a fairly photogenic person (let's try to forget about her first few years as First Lady, before the hair cut and makeover). So why do they pick on her with bad photos? Or is it only a bad photo because she's a woman?

I mean, there are plenty of stupid-looking pictures of George Bush with his little cowboy sneer or monkey lips. But it never makes me think of him differently politically. This photo of Hilary annoys me and it makes me dislike her just a bit.

Is this on purpose? Talk amongst yourselves...

The election plot thickens

So Romney's out. Huh. Now unless Huckabee blows ahead in some crazy blaze of scary insanity, I could actually tolerate having McCain in office. I won't vote for him, and am still pretty turned off by his move to the evil bedsheets of our current president, after said President royally screwed him over in the 2000 GOP nom, but IF he happened to be elected, it definitely would not be the worst Republican that could be in the White House. He is moderate on many issues, and has done some good things in his tenure in the Senate. He also fought in Vietnam and was imprisoned and tortured as a result, and I'm all for anyone with an actual service background (at least in the GOP), who didn't try to get out of actual fighting with the help of his powerful father.

However, I will vote democratically, but am very down the middle as to which candidate I prefer at the moment. Since I'm no longer living in NY and was only a registered party member there, my vote won't count in the primary this year, which is fine. I'm actually so firmly against the primary/electoral college/delegate process, maybe I should register as an independent from now on anyway.

So, I've kind of passed my civic buck at the moment, not voting in a primary. But whichever Dem is on the ballot in November gets my tick.

I'm just saying, in a worst-case scenario for me, as a democratic voter, McCain is not the scariest option (thank goodness Rudy is out. Yikes.).

I'm just waiting for Bloomberg for Prez. Then we'll talk.

The Dark Knight

Batman returns, and
I
Can't
WAIT...

Dark Knight Trailer

Like mother, like daughter

Does anyone else agree with me in that the new Kate Hudson/Matthew McConaughey vehicle, Fool's Gold, look surprisingly like a less-good version of the classic Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell vehicle Overboard. However, the fact that they're keeping it in the family I can appreciate.

Premise: Rich blonde woman attempts to screw over dull poor guy, who then proceeds to screw rich lady both literally and figuratively. However, in Overboard, we have a dash of amnesia suffered by Goldie, so she doesn't actually remember screwing over dull guy, but he doesn't soon forget. Hijinx ensue at her expense, but then the poor schlub falls in love with her. And...scene.

It looks like Fool's Gold is a poor man's imitation, since I'll take Goldie Hawn with plates glued to her hands while helping design a miniature golf course any day of the week (you must see it to believe it). Also, I get sucked into watching it every magical time it's on TNT or TBS.

There's this thing called the internet...

There are two parts of the internet that literally astound me every time I sit down to actually think about them. Sure, emailing is key, and getting information is wonderful. But those things were easy enough before (remember actually writing letters and reading the newspaper? Yeah.)

The two most amazing occurrences on the internet are Maps and Job Searches. I was just chatting with my friend and wondered, "How did anyone find a job before the internet?" He aptly replied "It's probably why people stayed at the same company their whole lives." This, I think, is true. I think it's also why urban areas are being revitalized and former dead zones in the US are now booming (case in point, the good ol' desert of the Southwest). There are more opportunities for people to move out of their comfort zone of home, and see what the world has to offer. As I am currently self-employed (fancy terminology for being broke, but loving it), I can literally pick up and move anywhere. With the beauty of Craigslist, I can find a sublet or temporary housing with the click of a mouse.

As far as maps, sure I can read a map. But ohmigod, mapping things on Google Maps or MapQuest is so beyond better, because it's a no-brainer, and it tells you exactly where to go. And you know we all love those faux-directions they give like "slight left at ramp" which literally means, merge onto the ramp. A little less specifics wouldn't be so bad, but still. And I know that in maybe the next 10 years, we're all going to consider the Google Map satellite function as an invasion of privacy, it's pretty sweet to be able to check out IN REAL TIME what a neighborhood looks like. I checked out a new Google Map function today while perusing Craigslist for an apartment. They now have a little tab called "Street View." I can click on that, zoom in, and voila, look at THE BUILDING I AM THINKING OF LIVING IN.

Holy fuck. I just reblew my own mind. God love you, dear internet. Now, bring me some cake, dammit!

Over the Rhine redux

I happened to have "Brothers and Sisters" on TV last night (I have heard good things about the show, but cannot commit to another drama for the season - I am fully stocked with "Gossip Girl" and "Law & Order: SVU") and I was beyond thrilled to hear an Over the Rhine song playing in a scene! It's not one of my favorite songs by them, but a good one nonetheless, and it was playing loudly enough that it didn't fade into the background.

SIDENOTE: "Felicity" wins, hands-down, for having the best OTR song in one of the most appropriate scenes. I think it was in the second-to-last season and one of the cast members leaves a goodbye video. You'll have to traverse IMDB for the full details.

If you'd like to check it out, it should be on iTunes or their website. Title: "Born."

More on my misadventures in Michigan very soon!