Zoom-Zoom-Zoom replaces Fahrvergnügen

Well, I ended up trading in my Volkswagen Passat for a 2005 Mazda Sportwagon S. I wasn't particularly unhappy withe Passat and found it to be a pretty nice car to own and drive.

At the same time, I was becoming increasingly nervous about whether I was living a charmed life with the Passat. I noted that there were a lot of folks who were experiencing some expensive repairs as Passats aged (one acquaintance is on his 3rd clutch in less than 120,000 miles and has had electronic problems). I know that I can't afford to be without a car and really put a priority on reliability. Plus, I was approaching some required maintenance that would cost over $1,000 plus would need new winter tires, battery, etc.

I casually looked at the Mazda and noted that they had $7000 discounts as end-of-year closeouts. I test drove a Wagon and really liked its feel and the engine/transmission combination. It handles very well and you can sense it's more of a driver's car than an appliance. Unfortunately the demo was a similar color as the Passat (a kind of blue grey). Then I spotted a Firemist Red wagon with tan interior and I was smitten.

Another deal sweetner: the dealership provides free oil changes very 3750 miles. Plus the Mazda gulps regular unleaded rather than premium unleaded. And the cost of buying a new car was actually a lower monthly payment than for the Passat.

So I pulled the trigger and am now Zooming. Here are a couple of photos of the car:

Peer Gynt with a Peer

We saw an adapted performance of Peer Gynt at the Ordway Theatre in St Paul. It was a production by VocalEssence in conjunction with the Norwegian National Opera, Norwegian National Theatre and the Norwegian National Ballet. (See this site for more information on the production.)

This was the performance that Prince Haakon, the Crown Prince of Norway, attended. The audience received the word at the beginning: stand when the Crown Prince enters and remain standing until he sits. At intermission, stand before the Crown Prince stands and remain standing until he leaves the theatre. Before the second act, stand. At end, stand. For an egalitarian community, this was kinda strange stuff. But, we all complied. I sort of wanted to say "have a safe trip" as he left at the end of the performance but stifled it.

Probably a good thing since we attended with my mother-in-law and a good friend -- both are Norwegian. (Barb's maiden name is Skurdalsvold and her mother's maiden name is Ness.)

There was this kind of nervous silence during the "standing" ... but some last-second applause for the Crown Prince when he left the theatre for good. We all sort of looked around at each other not sure if that was per protocol but gave a collective shrug and figured it was the right thing to do.

Turns out this is the centenary of Norway's independence from Sweden and the Crown Prince is visiting the US (and elsewhere) as part of the celebration. (See Norway Post article for more details.) The King and Queen of Norway will visit the UK to celebrate the centenary (gee I love that word).

Hmmm, wonder if the UK gets the top royalty because they have a Queen and we just get a Prince since we don't have royalty.

One last note. I have to confess I know far too little about Norway, Sweden etc. Here's some information that was news to me:

The Union between Norway and Sweden was established in 1814 following the Peace of Kiel which ended almost 400 years of Danish rule. The King of Sweden also became King of Norway. However, Norway established internal self-rule, based on its own constitution, adopted on 17 May 1814.

Towards the end of the 19th century the struggle for full independence intensified. On 7 June 1905, the Norwegian Storting (parliament) unilaterally decided no longer to recognise King Oscar II as King of Norway, thus dissolving the Union. A referendum overwhelmingly supported the decision taken by the Storting.

A period with tension building up in both countries followed. But through negotiations between Norwegian and Swedish representatives a mutually agreed formula for a peaceful ending of the union was reached in Karlstad (Sweden). On 26 October 1905 Sweden officially recognised Norway as an independent and separate state. The British government formally recognised Norway four days later, on 30 October 1905. The union between the two countries had lasted for 91 years.

A second referendum decided to establish a monarchy. Prince Carl of Denmark accepted the offer to become king and took on the Norwegian crown under the name of Haakon VII. He was married to Maud, daughter of King Edward VII. With their young son, Olav, the new royal family arrived in Norway on 25 November 1905.

From 100 Years of Independence

COUNTDOWN: 30 days; 13 hours to storage.
DRIVEN? Not today ... temperature was only in high 40's when I left this morning and needed three seats for the drive to Peer Gynt!

Keep Your Distance

Another day of Miata driving ... temps in the mid 60's! It's a great car to drive since its handling and steering are so responsive and, while the car isn't a horsepower tyrant, it's pretty peppy as long as you're in the right gear and the engine is not lugging or at the peak of its power band.

Put a Motown Soul Mix CD in the stereo, cranked up the sound and sang along to the Four Tops, the Temptations, Al Green and friends. Lots of fun.

While on 35W, I had an older Camry station wagon get behind me. It had obviously been in a couple (or more) accidents as the wheels were pigeon-toed and both fenders were crumpled. Apparently he wanted to check out the interior of my exhaust pipe as he hung on my tail pretty closely. So I ducked over into the next lane. He did too.

I then slowed down a bit more and went into the right lane. He did too.

So, I speeded up and went into the left lane. He did too.

By now I'm getting a bit nervous ... Miata are great cars but not well known for their rear crumple zone. I spotted a gap in the traffic and felt it was close enough to my exit so I eased back over to the middle and then the right again. He did too.

I exited and as I did so, he drove by and gave me a thumbs up. Apparently he just liked the car.

I still wanted to keep my distance.

COUNTDOWN: 32 days; 15 hours to storage.

Counting Down ...

This Miata season is drawing to an end. Took a look at the calendar and there's only 33 days, 16 hours to the date that I take her in for the winter's storage.

Since time is getting short and while the temperatures were in the 60's today, I took the Miata to drive to my appointments and open house today. The open house is located so that I only need three "tent" signs for directing would-be guests to the home. That's also the maximum number of signs that will fit in the trunk. It's Karma!)

The drive over was fine -- sunny and in the low 60's. The drive home was also fine -- I had an appointment in South Minneapolis and time to kill so I took a longer way around. A nice drive.

But on the way home, the sun set. The wind grew a bit stronger. The temps dipped. And the last ten minutes or so were not quite as much fun.

Note to self: temps in the upper 50's are much more enjoyable at the beginning of the season. The sun's warmer and the psychological boost is greater. At the end of the season, I tend to remember the warmer days (and evenings not to mention nights). The sun is more remote. Falling leaves seem to accentuate the cooler temps.

Now it's 33 days, 15 hours and 23 minutes.

Who Hates Who and Who Hates Most

Lately there seems to be a furor over which political side "hates" the other political side. A few blogs and a few opinion pieces have sparked a debate over who really hates ... what constitutes hate ... who started "hate" ... etc.

I'm not sure what the purpose of all the rhetoric is.

I love 'em all.

On the Roberts Appointment - "Pawlentyitis"

When President Bush nominated John Roberts to fill the O'Connor vacancy on the Supreme Court, I figured that it was a reasonable appointment and nothing I've seen since has really changed my mind. I'd prefer a less conservative justice but that's not going to happen given the outcome of the Presidential election ... and "to the victor goes the spoils." ( origins of cliche here )

I'm a bit less comfortable, however, with the decision to have Judge Roberts become the next Chief Justice.

There's a rational reason and an emotional reason.

The rational one: there's so little evidence of judicial temperament and experience. I was okay with that when Roberts was going to be one of nine Justices. But now he's going to be the Chief Justice if he's confirmed.

Judge Roberts has been an appellate judge only since 2003. Given that the appointment has life-time tenure (unless Judge Roberts were to resign or become debilitated), I'd sure prefer to have someone with more and lengthier experience than two years as a judge.

The emotional reason? It goes back to our current Governor, Tim Pawlenty. I guess I have what I'd term "Pawlentyitis" which is medically defined as "uneasy distrust of good-looking, affable and articulate conservatives." When Gov. Pawlenty was elected, I have to confess I wasn't immediately worried and only slightly concerned. He'd served in the legislature, seemed to be a pragmatic and realistic conservative but also open to compromise and working things out.

One hitch: he signed the "no new taxes pledge" that our local chapter of the Taxavoiders League foisted on a number of Republican politicians. Of course, these were politicians who were all heady over several years of budget surpluses and the ability to rebate taxes, reduce tax rates, etc. I figured that Pawlenty would realize that the pledge he'd signed just wouldn't work given the changes in the economy and the need for Minnesota to continue to be a leader in education, social services, etc. I figured he'd be pragmatic that his duties as a Governor would override his self-imposed fealty to a small group of rich Republicans. I was wrong.

When the economy turned south, Pawlenty stuck firm to his promise. That began the first of several years of budget shortfalls, accounting tricks and insufficient funding within state agencies and for local units of government as well as schools. (Pawlenty finally awoke from his slumber and this year proposed and implemented a tax increase on smokers ... which he still refers to as a "fee.")

So I look at Judge Roberts. He's good-looking, affable and articulate - just like Pawlenty. I just wonder what kind of "pledge" he might have signed and what pact(s) he's made that we either don't know about or don't think will be an issue.

Yep, it's Pawlentyitis.

A long time ago ...

I started this Blog but obviously didn't keep up with it. No good excuse or explanation but have committed to changing my ways and doing better. I'll just promise to try to do better.

Earlier today I participated in our church's monthly "meal for the homeless." Our church is responsible for one Saturday a month and I'd volunteered to coordinate/lead the event.

This was an event that showed God's hand:

- I had a total of four volunteers a week before the event.

- We had not made it to church last week (still on vacation) so couldn't put the personal arm on folks

- So, I put out an e-mail call for help and

- another four volunteers spoke up.

- magically, a couple of volunteers from a southern suburb show up;

- two "church ladies" from the host church and a "church man" show up to pitch in

By the end we had enough people and the event went smoothly. The 4-5 of us who were grilling survived the 90-degree (plus) heat.

Grilled about 90 hamburgers, 20 chicken breasts, 60 hot dogs. Went through lots of potato chips and baked beans plus milk, lemonade and water. Fed more than 60 guests (some had seconds, thirds and fourths!). Received rave reviews from several guests and just under $20.00 in free will offerings.

I'm glad it's over but am impressed that it came off as well as it did. Thank God!

Best Hockey Game of the Year

Alec and I attended the NCAA tournament game of University of Minnesota versus Maine. The U of M won 1-0 in overtime. Both teams played really well and this was one of the best hockey games I'd seen. Maine was scrappy and was very effective in killing off penalties. The Gophers at times seemed tentative but had one of the best penalty-killing displays I'd ever seen. I don't think Maine had the puck for more than 15 seconds during the two-minute penalty.

Before the game a true Minnesota moment: the surface lot where we normally park didn’t have anyone to take the parking fee. Car after car pulled in and we all discussed what to do. Back East (or in Chicago), folks would have just parked and walked away. In Minnesota we have to debate the morality of parking without paying!

Back from Chicago

We're back home and Alec is already asking when we can take another vacation! It was the typical battle to get him to leave -- he insisted he could find a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant and stay in Chicago by himself. That kept coming up all the way back home -- he's persistent if nothing else.

Some reflections on Chicago:

- the Lakeshore Drive is one of the city's crown jewels. It is not only a great way to get around the city, but it showcases the parks and lakefront.

- drivers are a lot more aggressive with weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating, etc Yet it seems to work because I saw no accidents. If you tried driving that way in the Twin Cities, you'd have road rage all over the place.

- it's expensive in Chicago. Just the day-to-day things (tolls, parking, gas, food, etc) mount up.

- there's so much to do there. The museums are great (we hit the Art Institute and Museum of Science & Industry) ... lots of shops ... people watching ... we could have stayed longer. But, it's expensive in Chicago.

Even though I still identify myself as a transplanted Chicagoan (it's been over 30 years since I've moved up here), I have to admit that I'm glad I just visit there and don't live there. The pace is more hectic, the density is greater, and there are people everywhere. And it's expensive in Chicago. (Guess what my mantra is!)

The Doll Store

Yesterday I was lamenting the loss of unique stores. I should have qualified my lamentations but chose to wait until today to write about a truly unique store: American Girl.

I found the "American Girl" fascinating. Having only fathered sons, I've pretty much been sheltered from dolls and the like. Although I knew that American Girl sold dolls, I had no idea of the breadth of their wares and how integrated their products are. There are dolls for different periods of time (e.g. a doll for the mid-30's, 40's, early America, civil war etc) Each doll comes with a book and a basic outfit ... then you can buy more outfits and accessories. (For example, among the accessories for the '30's doll is a bicycle, a camera etc)

Then there's a different line of dolls that have differing hair color, eye color and complexion ... in essence, a buyer can purchase a doll with these same characteristics as the buyer has (as long as the buyer is a girl -- apparently no boy dolls as yet).

Still another line has dolls that have articulated limbs ... with a more limited wardrobe and apparently no accessories.

My jaw dropped when we saw a tearoom where (mostly) Moms and (exclusively) girls were having mid-afternoon tea ... and there were special "chairs" for the doll(s). Some tables had one adult woman, a girl and several dolls. It looked like the tearoom we enjoyed last year in London.

(I immediately squelched the impulse to haul Alec off to the nearest bar and sip a Miller High Life.)

I'd been forewarned about the other novelty area -- a beauty salon for dolls where staff will coif the hair. I would have thought that the young owner could do it herself but apparently not.

Barb is a great judge of things like this. To me it seems a bit contrived and too planned. But Barb holds the store in high regard and believes that the merchandise, while not inexpensive, offers fair value. All I can say is that I'm in awe of the thought and detailed planning that has gone into the store and the merchandising. Calling them dolls, doll clothing and accessories really

Going to Chicago...

Alec, Barb and I are off to Chicago (well, actually we're here now ... and not technically in Chicago but in the western suburbs).

For me it's coming home. For Barb and Alec, it's vacationing in a different place with different stores, museums, restaurants, etc.

We always have a good time while here. There are all sorts of things to see and do. The vitality of the city is refreshing and I really think it's a pretty city.

Today we went shopping on Michigan Avenue. I was just along for the experience ... Barb had some items she was looking for and Alec is always on the prowl.

One thing which has changed is that there are fewer and fewer stores that are unique to an area or community. With the consolidation of retailers (especially the folding in of Daytons to Marshall Fields) and the regional malls, it seems that everyone has a Nordstroms, a Fields, etc etc. The Sony store is unique ... but closed. (Too bad ... I was hoping to see the PSP -- PlayStation Portable) There was a "Territory Ahead" store and a Levengers store inside Marshall Fields. But neither was particularly inspiring and we managed to hold onto our collective wallets.

McHale, give me a call

Today was the first appearance of the Bears Special Olympics basketball team and basketball players. I'm the head coach ... Alec made it known several months ago that he wanted to play and I offered to coach the team in order to get it off the ground.

We had our first practice in early February and ten practices before the area competition. There are 15 athletes on the team and 14 competed in today's area Special Olympics basketball competition. Nine competed in the Individual Skills events (dribbling, shooting and passing). The other five were on our sole half-court team.

The nine Individual Skills competitors performed admirably and demonstrated substantial improvement over their initial efforts. Many had very limited experience in basketball and at the beginning of our practices had difficulty with the skills, particularly dribbling and shooting. At today's events, all the competitors were awarded either first-place or second-place ribbons. In fact, I think we have enough qualified competitors to field one and maybe two more half-court teams.

The half-court team had slightly better skills but had never really played competitive team basketball. I wasn't sure what to expect and had no real idea of the level of competition that we might face. Before we played, we watched a few full-court games and I was beginning to get a sinking feeling as I saw some pretty good individual and team skills.

My fears were unfounded. The team really played well in its two games. Often the players made passes to the open player and shots were made. (this is a co-ed team so we won't use "man" in this context!) We had some awkward moments -- the idea of taking the ball back when we rebounded the other team's shots was difficult for some of our team to grasp. And, the adages to "follow your shot" and "move to the basket" seemed to work better in theory than application. But we can work on those things.

It was a lot of fun and very rewarding to see the athletes do well and enjoy themselves. After this success, I'm now waiting to hear from Kevin McHale about the T'wolves coaching opening next year. (Molly, Matt, Debbie and Joanne will all be on my staff!)

The Auto Show Part I

This year the auto show had several "new" models and cars that I wanted to see. This installment will deal primarily with the convertibles and roadsters that were at the show. I recently acquired a 1991 Miata and am looking forward to "top-down" driving ... so I wanted to make sure I checked out the new offerings.

At long last I was able to get a close look at Pontiac's new Solstice, a 2-seater roadster that comes out for sale within a few months. It looks pretty good in person and in the photo below:



The base price is just under $20k and the floor model was "around $25k" according to a Pontiac "product specialist." Normally, I'd think it would do fairly well against the esteemed Miata (I own a '91 Miata that I just bought last fall.)

I predict the "out-the-door" price will be higher. One salesman told me each dealer is only going to get 5-6 cars and "most are pre-sold." That translates to a sellers market. Generally, in those situations dealers either put on a bunch of tacky and expensive "options" (wheels, pinstripes, paint protection products, etc) or more brazen dealers will post the "additional dealer markup."

The Solstice is the first of at least 2 such cars from GM -- Saturn is s'posed to get a similar car and Buick is rumored to have an upscale version.

Buick did have a concept car called the Velite on a platform. It looked a little too Buick-y with a pronounced grill and a massive rear end (but I liked the Auburn-like "boat-tail" curve on the back decklid). Photos of the Velite are here:

I also saw the Maserati marque has reappeared in the States (locally, Morries is going to sell 'em). Maserati had four models on the floor: Coupe, GranSport, Quattroporte and Spyder. The Spyder is really a pretty car:



But in all honesty, I thought all four looked stunning. If I had the money, I'd have a hard time deciding 'tween them. It's a good thing I don't have the money so I can avoid that dilemma! (the Spyder lists out in the high $80k)

Finally, I had a chance to sit in the Mini Convertible. It would be a tight fit for Alec in the back seat and there's hardly any room for the golf clubs. But it seems like a fun car and I have to admit I'm totally in awe of their marketing efforts. The car looks like this:



About the marketing efforts: Mini has a fairly extensive booklet on "top-down driving" plus a "contract" that the new owner must sign that pledges that the car will be "top down" when driven unless some very specifiic criteria are met (e.g. a blizzard; temps below 0 degrees, etc)

The floor model had a little plastic cover over the buttons that operate the top. the message on the cover reads:



"Stop. Ask yourself. Is it really necessary to close the top? Be Honest."

Gotta love it!

All these cars just made me pine even more for warm weather!

The Auto Show - Intro

I'm going to the Auto Show later today with Alec. (Maybe I can persuade one of the other sons to go but they don't seem to have nearly as much fun at these as I do.)

I love cars. I've loved 'em since I was a little kid ... used to call out what make/model a car was before I could read. (My dad says he won several bets with friends who would drive with him that I was correct. I vaguely recall one friend who insisted that my dad must be tipping me off!)

When I was a kid, the new models came out each fall. I used to go down to our local Mercury dealer (dad always bought Mercuries back then) and try to sneak a peek under the window coverings to see the new models. Back then (mid 50's through early '60's) there really were changes from one model year to another so it was a big deal.

It shouldn't come as any great shock that I also love auto shows. I remember going to several auto shows when we lived in Chicago. I used to come home with all these manufacturer brochures and cut them out and put the pictures into scrapbooks. As I recall, you could also score a lot of swag like key chains, matchbooks, coasters, etc

Since moving to the Twin Cities, I've probably seen over 20 auto shows ... they're not the same as the Chicago show but where else can you go from one make to another and directly compare cars of the same market segment?

We never get new model intros but there's often some new models that are going to be in the showrooms shortly. I just want to see the new Miata and Passat but realize they won't be there. Maybe the new Jetta ... Solstice ... BMW 3-series? They've all been published in the car mags so I'm thinking that they may be available.

On being "Born Again"

For the past several weeks, our church's Adult Education group has been discussing Marcus Borg's book, "The Heart of Christianity : Rediscovering a Life of Faith." (See book profile at Amazon.com)

Borg's book attempts to bridge the gulf between progressive and traditional Christians. (Our church is progressive and the gulf often seems incredibly huge.) This week's discussion centered around being "born again" and Borg urges progressive Christians to "take back" this concept.

I don't think there are many phrases that seem to be so difficult for progressive and traditional Christians to resolve. Borg argues that traditional Christians use the phrase to mean a very specific concept by and I'd agree. The problem is that it seems to be an exclusionary term ... akin to the secret handshake in fraternities. It seems pretty futile to try to engage in dialogue in this regard.

So I was mulling over how traditional Christians would respond to Borg's thoughts. Came home and read some reviews on Amazon by traditional Christians ... several were exactly what I'd feared. My optimism for dialogue nosedived.

But there were also some rather interesting reviews, including this one:

Evangelicals beware --- this is the same Marcus Borg of the Jesus Seminar, the one who has categorically stated that he does not believe that Christianity is the only path of salvation, that the Bible is the Word of God, that Jesus experienced a bodily resurrection, or that Jesus is, in fact, the Son of God. So why review this book? Why give him any cyber ink at all?

There are any number of reasons why evangelicals need to be aware of what Borg believes and what he has written, not the least of which is his tremendous influence on non-evangelicals ...

... Borg never demeans those who do hold to a strong doctrinal stance and a literal interpretation of the Bible, much of which he considers to be metaphorical. But while many evangelicals dismiss him outright, Borg is obviously trying to build a bridge between the conservative and liberal factions in the church...

Even if you completely disagree with Borg's fundamental premise, THE HEART OF CHRISTIANITY is worthwhile reading for anyone who is unafraid to examine a perspective on faith that seemingly differs dramatically from their own...

There's no question that some who read this book will conclude that Borg has cut the heart right out of Christianity. But likewise, there's no question that many lapsed churchgoers will return to the faith as a result of Borg's enormous influence. For that reason alone, evangelicals would do well to familiarize themselves with the work of this highly gifted thinker and communicator. click for full review

Maybe there can be dialogue.

Update from the Tundra

Last week, we enjoyed one (yes, 1) day of balmy, awe-inspiring Spring-like weather. It was wonderful!

While Alec was at rehearsal for Joseph, Barb and I went to Grand Avenue for a recreational walk. There were so many fellow refugees from Winter that there were literal traffic jams at the corners of intersections. Dogs, people, babystrollers, people, toddlers, people were all crowded on the sidewalks with these half-crazed beatific expressions on their faces: Spring!

Since then ...

... Monday was bitterly cold with snow (ugh)
... Tuesday and Wednesday were chilly
... Friday was bleak with snow/sleet/snow all day

the weather just isn't very nice to us after that one day respite.