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Things have been a bit busy these past couple of weeks, hence my observance of radio silence.  In addition to spending Tuesday nights (6:30-9:30) either teaching or assisting the teaching of the new CERT class, I’ve been taking First Responder training on Mondays and Wednesdays (6:00-10:00).  And we had a regular monthly CERT meeting last Thursday, so I managed to spend four of five week nights at the Fire-Admin building.  My days have generally followed the pattern of:  Work, Class, Home (clean up what the dogs have destroyed), Sleep, drag-ass out of bed back to Work, lather, rinse, repeat. 

I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel, though, since the last class will be this Saturday (unfortunately it’s all day on Saturday, starting at 8:00 am, but at least it’s the last one).

I’ve been wanting to buy high-quality non-DRM’ed digital music in MP3 (or some other fairly open format) for quite a long time.  Searching my archives I see that I first brought this up four years ago.  And after using iTunes music store for a while, I finally got tired of the DRM about three years ago.  Recently, Apple announced DRM-free music, for a slightly higher price, although it was of slightly higher quality.  I played with it a little bit, but didn’t do too much with it, as it was still in Apple’s format (although being DRM-free it would at least play on my Squeezeboxes ) .

So upon learning that Amazon.com was offering DRM-free MP3 downloads in 256kbps VBR I decided I had to check it out.  First, installing their download app was pretty painless (although I have not used it to buy a full album yet).  The prices seem reasonable ($0.89/track in most cases).  And the selection is far better than any of the other DRM-free services I’ve investigated in the past. 

In fact, I fear that this could become quite a dangerous feature of Amazon.com.  It’s easy to lose track of what you’re spending when it’s only $0.89 a track.  I’ve already picked up one track that I couldn’t previously find without either buying the whole CD (or buying a DRM-encumbered version in iTunes).  That’s exactly the scenario that I think this setup is perfect for.  I would not have bought the whole CD for the one song, so ultimately the label and artist get some small amount of revenue that they would not previously have gotten, and I get a copy of the song to keep.  Classic win-win.

The best find so far?  Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting (disco flutes and all).  No, I didn’t buy it, though.  I was just amused to find it ranked as the 16th most popular MP3 download in the “Dance & DJ” category.

I saw this WSJ article last month when it was referenced by Dr. Helen.  It came to my mind again because of something that happened as I was leaving the vet’s office yesterday afternoon.

When children get lost in a mall, they’re supposed to find a “low-risk adult” to help them. Guidelines issued by police departments and child-safety groups often encourage them to look for “a pregnant woman,” “a mother pushing a stroller” or “a grandmother.”

The implied message: Men, even dads pushing strollers, are “high-risk.”

Are we teaching children that men are out to hurt them? The answer, on many fronts, is yes. Child advocate John Walsh advises parents to never hire a male babysitter. Airlines are placing unaccompanied minors with female passengers rather than male passengers. Soccer leagues are telling male coaches not to touch players.

A woman had parked her Tahoe next to my Avalanche and was in the process of unloading her kids when I exited the office with Malcom.  He was a bit stressed,  so I took him into the grass next to the office for a minute to let him sniff around and get calmed down.  The lady got the first child into a stroller and pushed it up over the curb onto the sidewalk and went back to get the second child.  The sidewalk has a slight incline and I noticed the stroller start rolling backwards towards the curb and I was certain it would tip over if it got that far.  I ran towards it and yelled at the woman about the stroller.  But as I went I couldn’t help but think about the fact that I was an adult male running towards a stroller with a child in it.  Fortunately, the woman saw what was happening and got to it before I did, and she didn’t react badly. 

Am I overreacting?  I don’t think so, considering that just the accusation of some sort of inappropriate conduct with a child is enough to completely ruin a man’s life these days.  And I hate that it’s come to this.  Men are afraid to interact with children who aren’t related (and sometimes even if they are), and children are growing up sensing that men are uncomfortable around them, which probably damages them in some way or another.

I don’t know how we get out of this hole we’ve dug for ourselves, though.  Just that we need to do something different.

I had one of those “what the hell have I done” moments last night as both dogs were orbiting my feet like furry demented satellites.  While they aren’t terribly rough with each other, they tend to be quite energetic, going over, under, and through anything in their way, including me.  I’ve got the bruises to prove it.

I’d been contemplating getting another dog so that Boots would have a canine companion.  I wasn’t in any particular hurry, figuring the right dog would probably present itself at the right time (kind of how Boots showed up when she did). 

The Friday before last I took Boots with me in the truck when I went to drop off some shirts at the dry cleaners.  The lady inside noticed Boots in the truck and asked me if I liked dogs.  I said that I did and she asked if I wanted another one.  It turns out that she bought the dog for her 19-year-old daughter, who will be going away to school and isn’t really taking care of it very well.  Further, it’s a Collie and she doesn’t like having dog hair in the house (with a Collie, you’re approaching 100% certain that there will be dog hairs floating around in the house). 

I told her that I would consider it and that I’d call her on the Saturday after I got back in town.  So yesterday I called and made arrangements to go see the dog and to let Boots meet him.  They got along well enough, although I got the impression that might be a little too rambunctious for Boots’ taste.

This is Malcom:

He’s an unaltered 10-month old Collie (soon to be altered, but don’t tell him that…).  He’s obviously still very much a puppy inside a grown-up dog body.  He’s actually kind of funny, since he acts like he hasn’t quite figured out how his legs work.  Now that Boots has been around him a little longer, she seems to have mostly accepted him.  There was a lot of playful barking, running, and nipping last night and this morning.  The only downside is that they decided to bring their play session onto the bed this morning, where I was attempting to sleep.  It’s rather difficult to remain sleeping when two 60-lb dogs are dancing on top of you (I’m just waiting for the bruises to show).  The only issue I see is that Boots is a little jealous, and tries to get up against me and prevent him from doing so.  But it’s nothing major (i.e. it’s fairly playful and there is no growling or snarling).

So far he hasn’t chewed on anything or had any accidents, which is good.  But he’s got tons of puppy energy, which may prove challenging. 

On Monday I’m going to contact the vet’s office to have him groomed (he has some horrible mats that I’m not even going to attempt to get out, lest I hurt him), examined, chipped, and snipped. 

I’m currently writing from an undisclosed location in Minnesota, where I have meetings all week.  I flew through Chicago on American today, and thought I’d share a couple of observations/thoughts:

* Upon landing in Chicago the first order of business was finding the men’s room.  While there I couldn’t help but notice that the stall walls only have about a 2-inch gap at the bottom.  I like the idea, because it definitely feels more private.  It also keeps anyone from reaching under and stealing your stuff.  Finally, it doesn’t leave much room for toe-tapping shenanigans.

* As we were taxiing out from the gate at Chicago, I observed at least five American MD-80’s from behind.  What caught my eye was the fact that on each and every one the right engine nacelle was dirtier/sootier than the left one.  Is there something in the American pilot’s manual for the S80 that favors the right thrust reverser?

* Someone unleashed a stinkbomb from the depths of hell shortly after the takeoff roll on that little American Eagle jet.  Whoever your are, please note that the rest of us really, really weren’t interested in sharing.  Is it really too much to ask to lay off on the gassy stuff before flying?  The rest of us would definitely appreciate it.

I’ve been idly contemplating ditching my Avalanche for something different.  The first thing that put this thought into my mind was last year’s blown transmission.  Since then it’s developed two annoying, but not fatal, problems.  First, at seemingly random intervals, the climate control system decides that the driver’s side needs full heat, despite being set in A/C mode.  Stopping and restarting the engine resets it, though.  Second, also at random intervals, it decides that it doesn’t want to unlock the rear doors.  What makes these problems especially frustrating, though, is that there is no way to force them to happen, so I haven’t bothered to take it into the dealer yet.  If it can’t be recreated, the dealer will just likely say to come back when it happens again. 

The other major factor in my mind is that the Avalanche is not optimal for carrying a dog.  Boots gets in and out well enough, but she’s still young enough to jump into the back seat (although I worry about the strain on her front legs from jumping down).  But she doesn’t fit in the seat very well.  She’s big enough that she can’t lay down without stretching out across the seat (which means that if there’s anyone in the back with her she generally ends up laying across their lap).  I’m thinking that some sort of regular SUV would be better than the Avalanche for her.  I could fold down one of the seats to give her access to the cargo area and put down some sort of bed there.  This should also keep all the dirt and fur out of the seats (right now I keep a cover on the back seats in the Avalanche).

When I bought this Avalanche I was intending it to be something that would last for a long time, hence the upgrades from the previous Avalanche (i.e. from cloth to leather, added a sunroof, premium sound, etc).  I was driving fewer miles and thought that would let me keep it well beyond when it was paid off.  Also in favor of getting the current one was the fact that the previous Avalanche had more than double the miles of this one and had ZERO mechanical issues.  All of this gives me a lingering doubt as to whether this Avalanche is a good idea in the long run.  I’m starting to think it’s better to dump it before the extended warranty runs out.  I’d hate to find myself having to get another transmission at that point (a $2K to $3K repair).

I did some checking online and found that mine is worth between $3K and $6K more than its payoff value (depending on how you evaluate it in the calculator; I factored in the mechanical issues into the lower estimate, thereby letting the dealer handle it for me, rather than having to deal with it before trade in; regardless of the small mechanical issues, the low mileage really helps).  With that amount of residual, I could use the trade as my down payment and not have to spend any money out-of-pocket.

So, that leads me to have to make some choices.  The first, and most important, is whether I give GM another chance or whether I go to Toyota (which seems to have the best reputation for reliability).  GM has some good deals on the 2007 Tahoe right now, and 0% on 2006 models.  Feature-for-feature, the Tahoe could be configured to most closely match what I have now on the Avalanche.  And combining the trade-in value with the specials I would end up paying less (overall and in monthly payments).  However, *ALL* of Chevroloet’s SUV’s and trucks use the same transmission as the Avalanche and also share the majority of the other systems (such as door locks and A/C).  That’s a big demerit against GM for me right now.

On the other side, Toyota has the best reliability ratings, but they don’t offer anything exactly comparable.  But for what I need, perhaps something like the 4Runner would fit the bill.  From a pure style perspective, I like the FJ Cruiser, although it might be a bit small.  Both the 4Runner and FJ Cruiser are listed as either the top or second most reliable mid-sized or small SUV’s (the 4Runner came in second to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid for 2007; interestingly, the Tahoe was fourth behind three Toyota models in the large SUV segment).  I suppose a test drive will be in order to see how well I fit into these SUVs as well as to see how they actually handle.

I’m not in a huge hurry, and I probably won’t even bother going to look at anything until late this month.  I’ve got a new CERT class starting this week and I’m traveling on business next week, all of which precludes fiddling with trade-ins and dealerships.  In the meantime, perhaps those with experience with any of the above-mentioned vehicles could comment. 

But note that buying used is not an option for me.  Seriously, I don’t play the used game.  For those that feel morally superior for buying used, step back for a second and think about where your used vehicles come from.  Someone had to buy them first.  I’m the one who supplies you with vehicles that have been well-maintained (I have all regularly scheduled maintenance done at the correct intervals) and that haven’t been dogged out all the time.  In this one instance I would feel a little bit bad about foisting off the Avalanche on the used market, but still, it’s low-mileage and hasn’t been abused, so perhaps it could find a good home with someone.