The Smart is coming to Canada this fall, perhaps. The US in 2006, when they have, naturally, an SUV version.
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(3)
12:00:22 PM,
Friday 9 April 2004
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covet: a two-seat, enclosed three-wheeler that leans into corners for you. Something to replace the now defunct BMW C1 on my wishlist in the non-suicidal scooter slot.
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(1)
11:13:53 AM,
Friday 9 April 2004
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While we're mentioning local websites, An outdated tour of Arlington by an unhappy teenager. "Well I say this, When feeding ducks is outlawed, only outlaws will feed the ducks." Also, "I don't know why but we have 12 nail salons in town. I don't even think there are 12 people that care about thier appearance." Fascinating. Coming from Hershey, I can't imagine what he's complaining about. Of course, he wouldn't understand why I was complaining about Hershey Park. Hm. At any rate, he's captured something universal about hometown hatred here. His dislike of fields is particularly poignant.
And speaking of illicitly fed ducks, I managed to get two mallards to hop by waving a kleenex over their heads. Eventually they gave me dirty looks and wandered off.
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(7)
05:12:46 PM,
Thursday 8 April 2004
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Yay! Arlington now has a town blog. If the feisty town listserv is anything to go by, the editors may have bitten off more than they care to chew. With any luck, they'll err on the side of useful and boring.
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(1)
04:35:39 PM,
Thursday 8 April 2004
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I need to retreat. My head-lowering skills are fast deteriorating. I'm writing belligerent e-mails demanding explanations of organizational stupidities. I'm not sending them, but writing them is a bad sign, and I don't have the leverage from Boston to pull off an insurrection. At the end of the month I'll have two weeks and a day of vacation time piled up. That's long enough to go to Newfoundland, though perhaps it'll be too early. We thought about it last summer, but I only had a week, and a week isn't enough. It would mean committing to this job for perhaps longer than I should, considering, but if I don't schedule it soon, I won't be able to. The worst that can happen is that I take vacation time which I could have cashed out if I quit. Or Erika suddenly gets a wonderful job and we can't go. But not planning vacations because of unemployment is mildly loony.
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(3)
04:52:53 PM,
Wednesday 7 April 2004
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Added Juan Cole to my sidebar, since he seems to be covering the Sadr uprising in detail and without theatrics. Saw him speak as part of a panel on Israel/Palistine a few years ago. He impressed me with his civility. Civility cannot be overrated on such topics. Lack of civility could be said to be the heart of the problem.
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10:12:01 AM,
Wednesday 7 April 2004
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It is stunning how few people will say they don't know on surveys. On one we just put together, we got piles of contradictory answers from the same department, so some people were clearly just guessing, and there was a don't know box, but only one person used it.
In this poll about the president, there is a question at the bottom about the coverage of the mutilation of the bodies is Iraq. Of people who didn't even see any of the coverage, 59% still had an opinion. Those who didn't see it who had an opinion were far more likely to say there was something wrong with it. 95% of us know what to do in Iraq. One problem with democracy is that it teaches us we are all qualified, practically obliged, to have an opinion about everything. My favorite tidbit: nearly a quarter admitted they didn't know what to think about energy policy, yet gas prices were the most closely followed news story. The more attention people pay, the less likely they are to have an opinion.
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01:34:07 PM,
Tuesday 6 April 2004
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Clicking about, failing to properly enjoy sisters of mercy in an imitation cubicle while feeling glum about job prospects and generally alienated. Why must Dr. Avalanche play so loud? I feel I'm keeping this job much longer would simply be inertia and cowardice. Also sensible. I am turning slothful and irritable in my dotage. But it finally stopped raining, 5 days later.
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11:10:39 AM,
Tuesday 6 April 2004
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My father found what turns out to be a nice shogi set and board along with a full set of proper slate and clamshell go pieces (without board or bowls) at his local auction. No one there knew what they were. He just thought (correctly) that it looked like one of those games I played. Just played our first game of Shogi with Erika. The enlisting of prisoners is interesting: getting a small advantage and then forcing endless trades is no longer an effective strategy. The Kanji for horse is darling.
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(5)
09:32:12 PM,
Monday 5 April 2004
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Turkish delight can be good, as I learned to my great surprise. My mother picked up some Balgin turkish delight with almonds from Cardullos in Harvard Square. It was nothing at all like the abominable Cadbury's version.
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(17)
04:37:04 PM,
Monday 5 April 2004
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I had a dream where Erika and I were interviewing Woody Allen, who had given up films and taken up video game design.
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(2)
11:29:42 AM,
Sunday 4 April 2004
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Nuclear land mine was to be warmed by chickens.
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(2)
02:18:58 PM,
Thursday 1 April 2004
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site & script courtesy of Moss
