Jude is about to start work in Michigan. That means that she's going to need a car. But not just any car. It needs enough room for visitors and their suitcases. Enough space for the dog (lest she head there for the odd weekend). It needs to be low emission as Jude works in Sustainability. And it needs to be American as she's going to be less than 40 miles from Detroit.
Which doesn't leave much. What it does leave is the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The seats are recycled. The caqr does 34mpg to the US gallon (that's 40 mpg to a UK gallon) around town and it won't get trashed by disgruntled Ford workers when she's in the city.
Plus as a Hybrid it has the advantage of a $3000 tax break from the government - as well as a generous $2000 off from Ford. That brings it down to around $21000 (10k GBP) making it a real bargain.
The problem is - you can't get one. The 2007 Hybrid was a sluggish seller - but the 2008 (available since Jan 2007 - I know!) has been sold out almost since day one. Getting one is going to take about 8 weeks, minimum. Weird I know. A Ford with a wait list.
Which just goes to show - get it right and Ford could be okay. It's not about badge it's about the right product, sold in the right way to the right people.
The temptation is to give in and get a Honda Fit (Jazz) but that feels wrong in Michigan. So onto the waitlist we go. Insane.
Friday, August 17, 2007
A watched phone never boils
I've spent much of this week waiting for the phone to ring. Of course this has driven me to the outer reaches of my patience and driven everyone else to distraction. Even as I wrote that sentence my phone buzzed and my heart leapt. Alas it was a friend wanting lunch rather than the person I wanted to talk to offering balm for my itching flesh. I do hate waiting for any kind of news.... I blame the internet
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Word gets out
I got bored the othe day and had a quick but happy muse on the future of the web. A half hour thing. I e-mailed it to the guy sitting next to me. This morning I woke up to an e-mail asking for permission to pubish it elsewhere. Within an hour it wa everywhere. Weird. It's not even that good. Still here's a link
www.bigshinything.com
www.bigshinything.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The summer continues to sizzle
So as the summer continues to sizzle and the blue of the sky deepens the stores turn their attention to the upcoming fall. Colors become more autumnal (read lesbian), fabrics thicker (lesbian) and everything takes on a waxy, waterproof sheen (yup, you guessed it)
Of course the fall here passes in the blink of an eye and we'll soon be plunged into a terrifying winter. Meanwhile there are freak tornados, storms, droughts and forest fires to deal with.
Ideas of the day
A bar with a wall of screens showing images of all of the people in the world engaging in on-cam cyber sex. (we wouldn't tell them that they were being broadcast of course - more exhibistionist / voyeuristic thrills to be had that way)
Social Network loans - what's the point of having cyber friends if you can't borrow money from them right? It's micro-financing for the daddy funded. And it could work.
An all gay big brother - called The Big Gay House. Reality TV usually neuters its gay 'characters' by making them 'the only gay in the house' - this of course reduces the chance of them having sex to almost zero and takes away the 'threat' of them. Instead they become sexless 'best friends' that we can feel good about voting for (how tolerant we are)... this version - everyone is gay ---- viewers get to see something very new and the Daily Mail gets to froth at the mouth.
Enough from me though
Of course the fall here passes in the blink of an eye and we'll soon be plunged into a terrifying winter. Meanwhile there are freak tornados, storms, droughts and forest fires to deal with.
Ideas of the day
A bar with a wall of screens showing images of all of the people in the world engaging in on-cam cyber sex. (we wouldn't tell them that they were being broadcast of course - more exhibistionist / voyeuristic thrills to be had that way)
Social Network loans - what's the point of having cyber friends if you can't borrow money from them right? It's micro-financing for the daddy funded. And it could work.
An all gay big brother - called The Big Gay House. Reality TV usually neuters its gay 'characters' by making them 'the only gay in the house' - this of course reduces the chance of them having sex to almost zero and takes away the 'threat' of them. Instead they become sexless 'best friends' that we can feel good about voting for (how tolerant we are)... this version - everyone is gay ---- viewers get to see something very new and the Daily Mail gets to froth at the mouth.
Enough from me though
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Last day of belt tightening
Due to all manner of mix ups my (five figure sum) expenses for this month won't come in until tomorrow (two weeks late)- which also just happens to be pay day as well. This sudden flood of money means an end to the belt tightening exercises of the last week and will no doubt signal the flood of none essential spending that has been so effectively dam'd up all week.
It was odd having no spare cash around. Thinking twice before buying something isn't an exercise I've engaged in in quite a while. And it's good for the sole. Eating at home. Walking past the massage 'parlour', avoiding $9 sandwiches - generally being aware of the price of things has certainly done me good.
That said I'll be glad when the cheques (checks) clear and I can dive into decent sushi again.
It was odd having no spare cash around. Thinking twice before buying something isn't an exercise I've engaged in in quite a while. And it's good for the sole. Eating at home. Walking past the massage 'parlour', avoiding $9 sandwiches - generally being aware of the price of things has certainly done me good.
That said I'll be glad when the cheques (checks) clear and I can dive into decent sushi again.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Dream hotel - okay weekend
So yesterday felt like a real New York weekend. First to the greenmarket for fish, bread and vegetables and the chance to walk the dog around the park.
Then a walk over the Williamsburg bridge under blue skies and in beautiful conditions to the lower east side where we ate crepes in a tint restaurant, shopped for birthday gifts in a packed 'sex shop' and squeezed our way through tiny boutiques that have no hope of ever making their owners money.
The sex shop was one of the new - out and proud, female owned jobbies where everyone speaks just a little too loudly to show that they're not ashamed to be there and the assistants speak louder and slower still as they issue instructions such as "Now before you use this boil it like spaghetti, if it's for group use use a condom for each person and remember even though it comes with 29 strokes lube don't get it on your vulva." All done so earnestly and with such post-mistressly authority that you see people frozen to the spot.
Anyway we managed to get an "Oral Sex in Literature" book for my friend Mok (dirty ditties frm Osacr Wilde, GB Shaw etc.) and then we headed across to the rooftop of the Dream Hotel where the models, the guests, the gays and the 'celebratin a birthday's managed if not to mix then to skillfully occupy different time-slots and areas of the roof.
With a midnight temp a much cooler than of late 23c, a view of Time Square (strangely silent) below us and $15 cocktails flowing it all seemed like fun. And it was. Mok told some self depreciating stories, people from work turned up looking like people (all glam and shiny) and Jude got to see that despite the office's penchant for dares (Saltine eating c ompetitions, drinking piss for money) there are real adults there too.
Bumped into an old friend turned 'tits out headhunter' - glam' is the new 'black book' by all accounts. She looked great, sounded energized and gave me her new (fold out, 4 sided) card.
Tomorrow is back to interviewing people about the future; planning for it; how to avoid making it too awful to contemplate etc. So today is going to be very chilled, very relaxed and may even involve brunch with the neighbors (if we can catch them)... excellent
Then a walk over the Williamsburg bridge under blue skies and in beautiful conditions to the lower east side where we ate crepes in a tint restaurant, shopped for birthday gifts in a packed 'sex shop' and squeezed our way through tiny boutiques that have no hope of ever making their owners money.
The sex shop was one of the new - out and proud, female owned jobbies where everyone speaks just a little too loudly to show that they're not ashamed to be there and the assistants speak louder and slower still as they issue instructions such as "Now before you use this boil it like spaghetti, if it's for group use use a condom for each person and remember even though it comes with 29 strokes lube don't get it on your vulva." All done so earnestly and with such post-mistressly authority that you see people frozen to the spot.
Anyway we managed to get an "Oral Sex in Literature" book for my friend Mok (dirty ditties frm Osacr Wilde, GB Shaw etc.) and then we headed across to the rooftop of the Dream Hotel where the models, the guests, the gays and the 'celebratin a birthday's managed if not to mix then to skillfully occupy different time-slots and areas of the roof.
With a midnight temp a much cooler than of late 23c, a view of Time Square (strangely silent) below us and $15 cocktails flowing it all seemed like fun. And it was. Mok told some self depreciating stories, people from work turned up looking like people (all glam and shiny) and Jude got to see that despite the office's penchant for dares (Saltine eating c ompetitions, drinking piss for money) there are real adults there too.
Bumped into an old friend turned 'tits out headhunter' - glam' is the new 'black book' by all accounts. She looked great, sounded energized and gave me her new (fold out, 4 sided) card.
Tomorrow is back to interviewing people about the future; planning for it; how to avoid making it too awful to contemplate etc. So today is going to be very chilled, very relaxed and may even involve brunch with the neighbors (if we can catch them)... excellent
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