mosker

They say losing interest in your normal activities is a sign of depression. If I am not interested in watching any of the shows I've saved to the DVR, does that mean I'm depressed or has TV been pretty hum-drum lately?

Oh, never mind. I found an episode of Bones that was interesting. Maybe it's not me after all.

It must be nice to be wealthy and well-connected

This item came through CNN's breaking news feed this morning:

What exactly is there to negotiate? If you are charged with a crime, you either turn yourself in or the police come and arrest you. Or you go into hiding and hope they never find you. Are they thinking they can get a bigger cell or a private toilet? Perhaps he's hoping to bring his own sheets. Whatever.

I understand that the wealthy have the resources to secure the best possible defense and are more likely to make bail and generally spend less time behind bars than accused who lack sufficient resources, but I can't see where someone charged with a crime has any room to "negotiate" their surrender.

Just don't drive

I drive a Toyota--a 2003 Tacoma--that I bought new. I wanted something that would last a long time--I was buying a house and I knew that I wouldn't be able to get a new car for a long time. I'm also not car crazy and I don't need the latest and greatest vehicle on the road. I will admit to being won over to Toyota because of their reputation for quality and durability, and I like the idea that Toyota vehicles generally held their value better than other brands.

Oh, how times have changed. So far, at least, my model and year have not been included in any of the recent recalls (the floor mat is well-secured to the floor board and the pedal has never failed to spring right back), but I'm sure the resale value has plummeted. I wasn't planning to sell it because I still can't afford to replace it, but I can't help but eye it warily at times, and wonder if the recall will be extended to include mine as well. Perhaps the quality had already declined when mine was built, and maybe it won't last as long as I'd been led to believe?

Of course, it's even worse for owners of vehicles that have been identified as defective. Toyota took their own sweet time in communicating with their customers, and now the government has piled on by telling them that they shouldn't even drive their cars until they are repaired. Are they serious? How is that even feasible? Perhaps I am in the minority here, but I don't keep a spare car in the garage, just in case mine is subject to a recall. I suspect it will take weeks, if not months, before all of the affected vehicles are retrofitted (and that assumes Toyota has accurately assessed the problem and implemented a viable fix).

Maybe this will prove to be the edge that U.S. automakers need to challenge Toyota in the marketplace (apparently Ford's sales have climbed in the wake of this P.R. disaster), but it's hard to be enthusiastic when it is at the expense of the consumer--who can least afford the hit.

Groundhog day

Apparently Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which means we should expect another six weeks of winter. I know I am supposed to be disappointed that we won't be experiencing an early spring, but this year the idea that spring might only be six weeks away sounds pretty exciting. Somehow, I had started to feel like winter will never end, and it's nice to have the reminder that it eventually will.

Now that's honesty

I have to stay until when?

I was off work last week, and yesterday I left early to get allergy shots. Today I leave at five six (or so) and I cannot believe how long that seems. Shouldn't there be some sort of phase-in to a full workday? Like for every day you're off, you work as many half-days before you're back to a full day?

According To Venezuela Obama Is Responsible For Haiti Earthquake

I’m not even sure The Onion could make this stuff up. State-owned radio and television stations in Venezuela (Hugo Chavez state-owned) are apparently reporting that the cause of last week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti was caused by “secret” U.S. “weapon of earthquakes.”

via www.mediaite.com

First Pat Robertson tells us that the Haiti quake was the result of a "pact with the devil" and now Venezuela tells us that the U.S. caused the quake with our secret earthquake machine. Which is really confusing, when you consider the earlier reports that Hugo Chavez thinks that Obama is the devil, which would mean that the Haitians had formed a pact with Obama? Wouldn't that be some kind of violation of the trade embargo? It's all a vicious circle which has left my head spinning. 

Still, it's good to have this information, because otherwise I would have been forced to rely on the facts. 

Fog

I don't actually need to go anywhere today, but being fogged in gives me a bit of cabin fever. This is the third or fourth day in a row with a fog advisory, but it's not showing any signs of burning off like it did yesterday.