$3,500 Later

I got my car back finally, $3,500 later...

I didn't report this earlier but halfway through my 'loaner' car usage, the loaner car had an engine problem that required me to get the car towed. Then I got a loaner Volvo station wagon. Turbo. This was a really ugly car but it handled surprisingly nicely.

My BMW was in the shop for about 3 or 4 weeks because it required major engine work. Now I figure I must get 2 or 3 more years out of it to make it worthwhile. It was GREAT to get the car back and for a 9 year old car I have to admit, I really really like it a lot still! It's fun to drive. PLEASE - no more problems!

Good Checkup

Last week I had my 'annual' physical. I put annual in quotes because it had actually been 1 1/2 years since my last one. The good news was that everything was normal and all my numbers improved.

Weight WAS 210 -> NOW 198
Cholesterol 212 -> 198
LDL (the bad cholesterol) 153 -> 132
HDL (the good cholesterol) 49 -> 56
Blood pressure: Perfect 120/80

I would still like to see some improvement on the cholesterol especially the LDL but the direction is certainly the right one!

Alarm Clock 7:23AM Effect

I have had the same old, cheap and fairly unattractive 'old-school' digital alarm clock in my bedroom for more than 20 years. It's simple, has analog radio tuning, and, you know, it's just one of those things that you don't really think about much.

Until lately.

Very recently I have noticed that the strength/volume of the AM sports talk radio station that I wake up to tunes in at a much smaller volume than it used to. Ok fine - maybe the alarm clock has served it's 20 years and is at the end of it's life. BUT - More strangely, over a month I have found that at EXACTLY 7:23 AM, if the radio is on, the volume and reception of that station increase to what it should be (probably about twice the volume or more). This is very noticable and it happens at 7:23AM regardless of what time I had originally set the alarm to go off.

Unless someone can offer me a reason why this is happening, I will probably run the following experiments:

1) check to see if it's the station by changing the alarm wake-up station
2) is it AM-band only? try an FM station
3) is the 7:23AM effect only applicable if I use the alarm clock on the 'armed' setting? flip the radio off and on sometime before 7:23AM and observe

I'm really curious - what possible explanations are out there?

Defending The Caveman

Tonight Shoko and I went to a restaurant in downtown Dallas called Iron Cactus and then to see Rob Becker's one-man play "Defending The Caveman" at the 85-year old Majestic Theater.

The restaurant is a transplant from Austin's famous Sixth Street and was surprisingly good. I had a spicy pork tenderloin served with fresh vegetables and a super cheese/potato side and Shoko had a Caesar salad topped with marinated steak. Yum on all counts. For dessert we had a "vanilla bean" flan with a partially carmelized banana. The service was great, the ambiance very 'hip' (though not too crowded). The only disappointment was the margarita. It was refreshing but not spectacular. Perhaps, I am too used to the great margaritas available at Taco Diner and Mi Cocina.

I had wanted to see Defending The Caveman for 10 years since Rob Becker first started performing it in New York and traveling around the country with it. He is spectacular as one would expect for someone who has done essentially the same act for the last 10 years. It was a very enjoyable evening with a lot of laughs. Even though you may not have heard of this show, you have heard some of the essential ideas in the material - men are hunters, women are gatherers; men solve problems through negotiation, women solve problems through collaboration, etc... I have no doubt that this material was innovative at the time, but today, probably as a direct result of Mr. Becker's success, the material feels somewhat tired. It doesn't help that some of the metaphors used (for example, the television remote control and the idea of a woman interrupting a man's TV show) are dated in light of today's modern conveniences like TiVo. Nevertheless, it was a fun night out for a Wednesday.

Aww, Isn't He Romantic?

This from the 3AM Girls referring to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes: "Tom's old-fashioned. He wants his child to be born in wedlock. He's very romantic..."

Hmmm... is this what it has come to? It is considered "old fashioned" to be romantic or to have a child after marriage? Since old-fashioned usually refers to things that your grandparents do (and thus are typically the complete opposite of cool), does that mean it's uber-hip to have children without marriage and to be unexpressive? Am I reading this correctly?

Hmmm.. and Tom is about the same age as me. It must be Katie - those youngsters with their crazy notions!

Another Crazy Weekend

We probably need to 'slow' down our weekends somewhat but check out the weekend that Shoko and I had last weekend:

-Movie - "Good Night, and Good Luck" (review coming)
-Play/Music Review - "Crowns" @ Dallas Theater Center (review on upcoming podcast)
-Grilled >2" thick filets (and they were YUMMY)
-TV: "Couplings", "Curb Your Enthusiasm", Dallas Cowboys v. NY Giants (speed Tivo)
-Music/Lecture: Traditional New Orleans Jazz Funeral, Lecture and Concert @ White Rock Bath House Cultural Center
-More Car Problems (update in upcoming podcast)
-Recorded a podcast w/ Carol
-And of course, errand running.

This Wednesday we are off to see "Defending The Caveman" at the Majestic. Too bad I can't bring microphones - this is supposed to be a very funny and revealing look at the differences between men and women.

Active Weekend

This was one of those weekends where you are really exhausted at the end of it. Though it WAS a good exhaustion.

Friday night, Shoko and I went to a favorite Mexican-style eatery called Taco Diner and then to a Tango 'workshop'. This workshop was unlike what we were used to. We were moving! This was definitely exercise. On Saturday, I took a bike-ride in the morning while Shoko attended Aikido class. This set us both up for a well-deserved leisurely Saturday. We went to a presentation by a friend of Shoko's followed by dinner at an Asian 'Tapas' place called Nandina's and a movie later in the evening.

On Sunday, we attended Talk Cinema in the morning and then spent 6 hours at the Texas State Fair where I enjoyed a Corny Dog, a fried Twinkie, sausage on a stick, funnel cake, and gummy candy. Stomach happy then not so happy...

Car Problems Part II

After the last car problems I thought I'd be clear for awhile. Well - this weekend the engine light and the coolant light came back on. Then, worst of all, last night the engine temperature gauge turned into the red. I was close to home but it still made me very nervous.

This morning I had the car towed back into the shop and they gave me an old-model Mercedes loaner with no stereo. I'm happy for the loaner but my podcast listening time will probably be limited this week as a result.

I'll let you know what the damage/problem is when I find out.

Hmmm - is this life with a 9+ year old car?