@ The Listening Room

Cindy and I are at the Lisening Room room watching Burns and Poe. Burns is a former member of Trick Pony and Poe is someone Cindy works with.

My Current Dream Car

Despite the fact that my 1968 Firebird has only recently become drivable, I have a new vehicle on my mind. I have always had a thing for Astro vans. My parents had one for a few years and I was lucky enough to take a few road trips in it. They are cheap, reliable, cavernous inside, and get good gas mileage for what they are. I discovered that if you take out the rear seats and replace then with a mattress, you have the ultimate econo motorhome.

It turns out I am not the only one who feels this way. These vans, especially the AWD ones, have quite a following among those who use them as "expedition vehicles." The one in the picture is the finest example I have seen. It has been outfitted with a pop-top, lift kit, and meaty tires. I can only imagine what treasures await inside the van.

I am contemplating doing an expedition of my own in the next few months. I may end up acquiring an old Astro or Safari and build my own expedition vehicle.

The Firebird lives

For the last 6 months I have been working on this Firebird project.  I replaced the original Pontiac 350 with a fuel injected 6 liter LQ4 from a 2001 Silverado. I finally got it on the road last night and it exceeded my expectations in terms of redneck tire spinning capability.

Trying to fish

It is a very windy day on Priest. I am trying to fish,  but unfortunarely I don't know anything about fishing. The best part about the day is the warm weather and green tea.

Ear ache home remedy

There is an old wive's tale that says if you cut a garlic clove in half and stick it in your ear, it will help an earache. Hogwash? You decide...

The Smart Car is Actually Stupid

I have always found the Smart Car to be an insult to my intelligence. There is irony in the name because the Smart Car is, in fact, stupid. My reasoning is pretty simple. Yes, it looks ridiculous, is arguably unsafe, and is more expensive than the larger and less embarrassing Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa. But what I really find insulting is the fact that it gets terrible gas milage. 

According to Fueleconomy.gov the 2010 Smart Fourtwo gets a combined 36 MPG. Seems good, right? Only until you realize a 1994 Honda Civic got 43 MPG. If the Smart is so smart, then why could a car that is both larger and better looking get 7MPG better 16 YEARS AGO?

Can someone please chime in and explain the merits of this car to our fellow readers?

Hattie McDaniel

Since we are talking about things that make me stoked, I wanted to take a moment to pay homage to one of my favorite actresses, Hattie McDaniel. Hattie is perhaps best remembered for her roll as Mammy in "Gone With The Wind." Indeed, this is how I first fell in love with this talented actress. Here is part of the Wikipedia entry devoted to her:

Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1895 – October 25, 1952) was an American actress and the first African-American to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939).

McDaniel was also a professional singer-songwriter, comedian, stage actress, radio performer, and television star. Hattie McDaniel was in fact the first black woman to sing on the radio in America.^[1][2] Over the course of her career, McDaniel appeared in over 300 films, although she received screen credits for only about 80. She gained the respect of the African American show business community with her generosity, elegance, and charm.

McDaniel has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood: one for her contributions to radio at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard, and one for motion pictures at 1719 Vine Street. In 1975, she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame and in 2006 became the first black Oscar winner honored with a US postage stamp.^[3]

New Office

This is the new office of a certain technology company I work for. I have been slaving over this project for the last 8 months and it is nice to be finished.

First Post

My first post is dedicated to a very special substance which has kept me going these last few years. Those of you who are lucky enough to live near a gas station that stocks it will need no explanation of why I would devote a blog to this wonderful gift.

In the blog that follows I will explain just why, exactly, I am Stōk'd (other than the coffee shot).