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Comments
Cheers Pat.
Shouldn't that be "I'm especially proud that despite my coaching she made the team."
:P
Hahah; thanks for the sentiments, Pat. I certainly plan to eat well!
Bob
I had great plans for today too. I had the week off and planned to create a large Volkov shaped dent in my couch watching football with my kids at school and Dra at work. ( Not antisocial, it is just that they don't like football and despite the fact that I'm pretty sure my $$ paid for the flat screen and the PVR, I always get last choice of what we watch until they go to bed. )
Anyway, scheduling mix up saw me being called in to cover this week :-(
Still recording everything....hope to be home early.
So much & so many to be thankful for, this day and every day. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
one of my stepsons took the 90 mile trek in husband's car to pick up husband's parents and bring them here .. we'll be taking them back home a bit later ... not looking forward to the car trip since the son and mother in law SMOKED in it all the way HERE ... when husband realized they had, he came in and said .. "who smoked in my car?" and looked at his mother .. she said .. you and Brenda weren't in the car .... (rolling eyes) .... oh yay ....
good dinner ... good family ... in laws, stepsons, daughters, grandsons ... a couple of the kids were sick and couldn't come so the daughter brought a video of them for us to see ... lol ... they live close so we'll see them soon ...
hope you all had a fine turkey day .. or have one tomorrow ...
The roaster is out on the deck table, since there's not enough room in the kitchen.
Going to go pick up the BIL shortly - in my now partially head-shield free car! Wow, I had no idea it was THIS quiet! :surprise:
doesn't this sound awful? lol .... I need a few more days like this!
That's gonna be popular. At $200 even kids will be buying 'em. It costs less than some portable gaming platforms.
Got my shopping all done already. Anyone else do the crazy Black Friday thing?
Kids will get these cool 3 wheeled drifting scooters that can go sideways. :shades:
I wonder if this is the beginning of the end of their hardware offering and they'll become strictly a software provider?
They priced the BlackBerry Bold 9900 at a ridiculous $299, and the Torch 9810 at $249 (with T-Mo). 2.8" and 3.2" screens. Meanwhile, droid devices are hitting 4.7", even ones with keyboards are 3.7" now, and they cost LESS.
Premium pricing for small screens and a weaksauce App Store.
The tablet is already 60% off (oh, and still no native e-mail and no UMA wi-fi calling), how long before these phone prices drop? I'm not sure they'd be successful at half the price!
It's been a frustrating year for BB users.
And a frustrating 3 years for RIM. They were caught with their pants downs by the iPhone and expected the corporate world to support their sales plans. Unfortunately Apple and Android was accepted by the corporate world.
Straight A students, mind you.
our students are now taking a series of "predictive" tests to know if a student will pass the state tests and to gather info on the skills/info that they still need to learn before taking the tests ... at this point we are doing them 3 times BEFORE the state testing which starts in Feb for writing and "long answer" questions ... reading and math where they have to write out an answer and not just choose from multiple choice answers ... then the round in april when they have to do the multiple choice math, reading, and either social studies or science (depending on grade) ...
as a special education teacher, I will spend a good part of a 2 week period each time giving these tests since our students have test accommodations that include having portions of the tests read to them and also having more time to complete the testing ... add that up over a year's time and see how much instructional time is taken away ....
Does the whole country have cabin fever at the moment or what? Snarkiness abounds.
(Heh, just checked out some dealer review sites - one of our posters said "Avoid this Unethical, Dishonest Dealer!" My sister certainly is going to. Wonder why the manufacturers can't get rid of the bad apples?).
The parts department at my local dealer treats me well ... they give me 20% off.
Still no excuse to be rude.
Mid November found me at my annual ‘education week’ out in San Jose, CA at ASM’s ‘International Symposium on Testing & Failure Analysis’. I taught a 3 hour class, gave a paper on some of our recent research, and absorbed information like a sponge the rest of the time (along with food and alcohol ). It’s great to get to hobnob with your fellow wizards once a year!
Gotta get a car review in here somewhere:
Poughkeepsie to JFK – Mazda 5 minivan – a bit rough and underpowered, but decent in concept.
California – Dodge Journey – lots of electrical gremlins. Radio & HVAC stack is an ergonomic mess. Drove OK for its size, but not much fun.
JFK to Poughkeepsie – Chevy Malibu – Loved it! The new 2012 is a great midsize car. If this is the future of GM, they might have a chance yet.
Thanksgiving week was in Lee, NH at my sister’s place. Funny, but we barely speak most of the year. But when we get together the house rocks with laughter, and it’s like we were together only yesterday.
Last week I attended a day long technical meeting down at our TJ Watson Research facility. The keynote addresses were given in the auditorium where we hosted the Jeopardy! games earlier in the year against mere humans Ken and Brad. If I could easily post a picture, you’d see me on the stage also getting my [non-permissible content removed] kicked by Watson. I worked on several of the chips in the box, so it's nice to see the outcome.
Redoing two main rooms on the first floor – family room & living room, so I’m plenty busy each night. Just finished (finally) the roof and exterior wall repairs from the summer/fall storms. Fortunately the weather has been mild so completing the outside tasks this late in the year hasn’t been a problem. But it is pretty weird to see flowers still blooming in several places in the yard. We haven’t had a really deep freeze yet, so just last night I mowed the lawn yet again! This climate change stuff is getting scary.
Sure is. Only three weeks ago we were at -30ish and colder, setting some record lows for a week and then hovering near said lows for another week, and on Sunday it was so warm it was raining most of the day! Of course, all that does is make the roads incredibly slick, but I like it that way. I'd like it a whole lot more if everyone else would just stay home, but I'll take what I can get.
I love, Love, LOVE having heated floors in the house now! In hindsight, I can't believe I waited nearly nine years to get the heating system up and running. I'll never make that choice again!
One thing I'm not so sure about is the "carousel" when you open it, but there are other ways to get to what I want quickly. I think the carousel is unnecessary ... and from what I've read online there are quite a few who agree with me ..
And ... I'll confess ... for the first time ever I'm playing "Angry Birds". I have resisted downloading apps on my iPhone but I'm already hooked ...
I do like the lighted screen for reading, although I'm not sure it will completely replace the $79 Kindle I've had for almost 2 months. I really like the lightweight Kindle for reading in bed ...
maybe the 'best' part of the purchase is that I used AmEx points and paid just under $60 for the Kindle Fire ...
I hope you can help us. We need to replace DH's 2003.5 Volvo XC70, which now has 185K + miles, due to a 100 mile/day commute. It is also the usual weekend family vehicle because hubby drives (fwiw, I have a 2001 QX4 -- love, love, love her). We love this car -- the space, the ride and more than anything, the big comfy seats. However, this last year has been an expensive one for maintenance as we have crossed that line from replacing things that wear out to things going wrong.
I mention the commute here because mileage is an important factor in a replacement vehicle, which is why we are considering the Outback. DH is not looking to trade down in terms of size, HP or appointments (I have tried small car suggestions and don't even think about suggesting the 4 cyl. Outback). I understand you want a certain amount of car around you/under you on a long commute. Also, a simple car won't do -- it needs to be a wagon/cross-over/SUV thing -- but can't be a "chick car" (i.e. RAV-4 or Santa Fe). I know -- you are now thinking these people are out of their minds! -- but please keep reading...
A love of big wheels/tires is behind some of the angst. We were THIS CLOSE to buying a Toyota Venza (6 cyl/AWD/20 in wheels). Had the pricing all figured out and everything. We had driven separately and really liked it; but once we went together we were able to pay more attention to the lack of interior quality and how uncomfortable the seat was (really -- should leather look fake in a car with a sticker of nearly 40K????). Hubby is in love with the Mazda CX-9 (would only consider it with 20 in wheels) but has come to accept that it is a thirsty vehicle and probably not the best for his commute. And oh the cost of replacing 20 inch tires!
Which brings us to where we are today -- can we both be happy with a Subaru? The seats, space, mileage, ride comfort? It seems we are out of options otherwise. I'm onboard but this feels like "more than a compromise" and a "mommy mobile" to DH due to the mere 17" wheels. I know a Subaru can be the 200K car we need it to be.
What do you think, Subaru Crew?
kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
I called and left her a message yesterday afternoon razzing her because I hadn't gotten another email from her.
Turns out she was at the store returning everything. Her frustration level is pretty low. I keep trying to get her to go the the community college and at least play on the public computers (she keeps telling me she doesn't want to take a course).
Most likely the senior center has a class, but she'd kill me if I recommended that option. Even if she is eligible.
at any rate ... I don't know for sure what I'm recommending because I haven't downloaded it ... yet ... but I will
in the amazon Kindle store, a search will bring up "Windfall" by Faith Friese Nelson .. Faith and I were in the band together in high school. She was the senior drum major when I was a freshman (but she still managed to be 'nice' to me) ... I ended up playing the piano accompaniment for her solo at competition. She was a good musician - even spent a summer at the Interlochen camp. She had other talents, including being a dancer and a writer. This is a new novel - just out at the end of September. If you have Amazon Prime, it is available as a 'free' loaner ...
Lots of free Kindle eBooks out there too, and not all of them are the out of copyright ones. (link and link)
That's what we do (for the iPad and laptop).The laptop is a bit clunky for bed, where I usually read. Don't have to have a nightlight though, like you do with the original Kindles.
Our current library is ~3 blocks away so we walk over there at least once a week. It's not real big but they have a good interlibrary loan system going for anything I can't find.
But yeah, Prime is probably worth it just for the free shipping alone.
At worst, I imagine I'll have to get the plow truck out again this evening or tomorrow.
Thanks for the thoughts!
Huge wheels and tires add unsprung weight and hurt the ride and handling balance. To do a Plus Three on an Outback would without a doubt have adverse effect on it, and you'd give up the ride that is one of its primary strengths.
Also, big wheels + tires mean he's probably in to some bling, at least a little, and Subaru is just about the opposite of that - understated, not flashy, get-the-job-done with no-nonsense type of car.
I think you can get 20"s on a Murano, FWIW. Nissan may be another option. I've also seen big chrome rims on a Ford Edge, FWIW.
You sound more practical (smarter?) than your sig other so come back when it's time to shop for your car, I think you'd love a Subie. :shades:
Funny enough, my personal opinion is that 17" rims are oversized for a car like the Outback.
The 200K you want to get out of it, though.... I suspect it would take you there without complaint.
We have an offer from a dealer on this with Moonroof + Nav (there's the bling) and all the protective coverings/moldings you can add for $33,800. That was less than we were expecting for an opening offer, so we'll see where it goes from here.
Hubby has been spoiled by the loaded Volvo, which we only have because we bought it from my in-laws after only 2 years (my FIL tires of cars very quickly). The Volvo has 16 in wheels, so I'm not sure where all this monster wheel and tire business is coming from.
This may seem odd from my post, but DH (who is really a pretty simple/understated guy) and I almost always agree on exterior styling -- we like kind of boxy with rounded corners (as evidenced by the Q and Volvo). The Murano and Edge are a little too round/curvy for us. I work with some people who have the Edge and they are lukewarm at best. The back end of the Outback is my favorite part.
Going up to an 18 inch wheel is a thought and I like the Rial Como on Tire Rack, as it looks like it could be OE. One inch should not make too much difference in the ride and would pair it with Michelin MXV-4. Check it out here:
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initial- PartNumber=CO80835B32BSAT&wheelMake=Rial&wheelModel=Como&wheelFinish=Bright+Sati- n+Sil+Paint&showRear=no&autoMake=Subaru&autoModel=Outback&autoYear=2012&autoModC- lar=3.6R+Limited
If your roads are well maintained, then I agree that 18" might still work for him and this car. Anything larger would probably be a mistake.
My neighbor slipped off our local feeder road yesterday morning, though, just a minute or so ahead of me. I stopped and gave her son (senior in HS) a ride to school, while she walked home (I offered her a ride, but she opted to walk since the house was less than 1/4-mile back and the weather was so warm) to wait for a tow truck. Unfortunately, her SUV was way down in the ditch. I thought about going home for the Forester to pull her out, but I'm not sure it would have done the trick given the grade of both the road and ditch.
I actually like those rims, they even have the OEM look. And as a Plus One they shouldn't hurt the ride too much. Thumbs up.