This bar appeared in our nearby Big Lots. I couldn’t resist.
You never know when you must have chocolate.
A really really bad car
Nissan recently came out with a two-door convertible SUV – the Murano CrossCabriolet. It gets bad fuel economy, carries little, performs poorly, looks ugly, is hard to see out of and doesn’t do off-road very well. And it looks ugly.
A reflection of how hard this vehicle is to categorize is that Car & Driver magazine and Automobile magazine both gave it really unusual reviews. One was an epic poem – “The Oddity”. The other was a Q & A, in which the reviewers asked, “Does it do this well?” for 4 different categories, and the answer in every case was: “No.”
(My apologies if you just bought one. And also, please know that I have nothing against the regular Murano.)
The photo came from Car & Driver magazine.
Interview with Neenz
Yesterday and today on my Greener grass Media blog, I did an interview with Neenz. You really should go over there and read it. Even if you’re not into social media, I promise you will learn something!
I know that I said I wouldn’t mention any more about my posts over there, but I had to point you to this great interview.
Super encouragement
You never know when the past will meet the present.
Two weekends weeks ago, we attended the graduation ceremony for our dear friend Stefani. Little did I know, but that day the pastor from my junior high and high school years was being given an honorary doctorate. He also gave the commencement address (excellent).
After the ceremony, Heather, Rachel and I went to greet both him and his wife. They were super nice! I told them how their influence on my life so many years ago was still lasting to this day.
Moral of the story? You may be making an impact on someone today – and that impact may last a long time.
(The horrible photo is from my cel phone – but that is the couple, on stage.)
Poll results
I’m not sure if you saw that little link. If you click that link on yesterday’s poll, you can see the latest results.
I know you were wondering.
Poll: basements
[polldaddy poll=5040524]
Yes, I wonder that about where you live.
And it’s also my reminder that Shiny Bits of Life can be truly random.
A sad passing
Smart Car Denver is closed.
They tried. America just wasn’t ready for a car that was much smaller than a Toyota Prius but did not get as much fuel economy.
I was sad. It’s a fun car. I would never buy one, but the idea that someone could was a good thing.
On frequency
Some have asked why I scaled back my blogging since March or so. The short answer is that I have less free time these days. I’m in the midst of getting Greener Grass Media off the ground, and my spare minutes are precious.
My hope is still to give you at least two or three posts a week here. Some weeks I may get back to five. Thanks for your loyalty!
You can read this blog by RSS too – and then you’ll know when I’m posting here, without having to check back.
Fun for your Friday, number 13
My daughter Rachel drew this recently. I thought you might enjoy it, as I did.
I love the head-as-heart.
And I thought that it was interesting that this is my thirteenth “Fun for your Friday” – and it falls on Friday the 13th.
Good with the bad
Ikea is opening up a store about 8 miles from our house on July 27th. The heating and cooling system has some environmentally-friendly aspects that are unparalleled.
I love so much of what they sell. Cool. Sometimes inexpensive. Often high quality. But I know that many of their products were built with laborers working under non-ideal conditions in China. And Ikea has had some problems with the rights of workers in their factories outside of China.
Alternative to that? Not much. If we all bought fair-trade everything, we wouldn’t drive any car. Or watch any TV. Or enjoy using any computer.
On way forward is to do some things to make a difference. Buying fair trade coffee or chocolate is a small thing, but it will impact the farmers who worked hard to get you those beans. Maybe some day the fair trade movement will extend to furniture. And cool lights.
