Random dumb thoughts

This page is to put those little weirdnesses of life that don't really fit anywhere else, or aren't worth a page of their own

Thursday, February 06, 2003

Thoughts even more random than yesterday:

We often use these blogs to complain about those niggling things that make us nuts. Today I'm going to try to use the blog to praise those niggling little things that make my life a little easier.

1. The "squeal tab" on the brakes on GM cars. Now, I know some people complain about them, but when the noise started on my car last weekend, I tried looking it up in the manual that came with the car. (I know, I'm odd, I actually DO RTFM). This noise seemed pretty consistent with what they described as "your brake pads are starting to wear down." I LIKE the fact that my car told me it needed new brake pads, as it's not something I would ever think to check or replace by myself at this mileage. As far as I'm concerned, that's what the inspector is supposed to find on my car each year, and I got a "pass" last September. I'd much rather have a noise that annoys me (I had to REALLY crank up the music in the car to make it go away by Wednesday morning) than have my brakes go out or get damaged when the pads wear down.

2. Relevant to item number one, I actually have nothing but nice things to say about Sears/NTB auto service. In all the years I've had cars, they've never steered me wrong, ripped me off, or treated me like an idiot. There's something comforting about big chain stores when it comes to auto repair -- these guys aren't on commission, so they don't seem to feel obliged to try to "find things" with the car. One time I brought my car into NTB, and I told them that I was thinking about new tires, and one tire seemed to always deflate quickly. Instead of seeing "girly sucker" before them, they checked the car out, found a nail, pulled it out and told me that I didn't need new tires at all and charged me ten bucks for the whole thing. Yesterday, I called them about the brakes at 2:45 to find out what time the brake tech came in on Thursday morning. Dave the office guy said that the tech wasn't in on Thursdays, but if I could bring my car in then, they'd take a look at it and do the work that day. So I did (and thanks to boss for saying "why are you still here?" when I told him that I had to leave to get the brakes done) I get there, and Dave tells me that while the store closes at six, the tech would stay later if it took longer to get the job done. Work was done at 5:55, car drives well -- no more squeal. Bonus points to NTB for being within walking distance of my house.

3. The Bodum mini-hot-pot hot water boiler, as available at Target (in white) and now in red at Crate and Barrel -- price about twenty bucks. I don't think I could get through the workday without being able to make eight billion cups of tea and coffee in a jiffy. It's small enough that it fits on my desk, boils water faster than anything else. At the moment it's way up on the "appliances I love" list.

4. Altoids mints. When I'm hungry, or more likely simply munchy, one of these puppies curbs my appetite without giving me the major jitters which is what coffee -- the other killer appetite suppressor -- does to me. This way, if I'm still ravenous afterwards I know that I'm actually hungry rather than "bored-at-my-desk-in-front-of-the-computer"

There you go. It's random. It's thoughts.

.: posted by Lily Thursday, February 06, 2003

Wednesday, February 05, 2003

She's back! Well, for today at least. My mind is rather wiped out at the moment, so I don't have that many thoughts at all, let alone random ones. I watched Colin Powell's speech today and couldn't help thinking when all the naysayers started in on it -- this strikes me as a case where SOMEONE finally "connected the dots" before something happens, and is trying to tell the world and do something about it. I honestly don't think that people really want the dots connected beforehand, they just use it as an excuse after something godawful happens to either transfer the blame from themselves or simply to make themselves feel better because now there's someone to blame. Same thing with the shuttle. They're going to go after NASA for "not taking seriously enough" the piece that fell off the shuttle on takeoff. What were the astronauts going to do if everyone had gone around "taking it seriously"? Pop outside with a nailgun and some Krazyglue? (What does "taking it seriously" entail, anyway? Lots of nodding, grim expressions and memos, I expect).

I'm watching Condoleeza Rice on Larry King at the moment. Where on earth does she get those suits? I hate to admit it, but I like those colored dress-with-jacket suits, at least for work. She's always got one. I have one "Jackie Kennedy suit" (that's what my work colleagues call it) from a few years back, but it was hard to find and it doesn't fit anymore. They don't make them around here. Everything has spaghetti straps and no jacket. Have they ever been into a commercial office building? All of the ones I've ever been in have only two temperatures. "Cold" and "%$#ing Freezing".

Still finding more raisins in the damn trail mix.

This really is random, isn't it.

.: posted by Lily Wednesday, February 05, 2003

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