Stuff

I've had my car since October, and finally called a Chevy dealer (Mirak in Arlington) to schedule an oil change (got in for tomorrow at 5:30!). I've really loved Saturn service and though Saturn=GM and Chevy=GM I'd rather find a Chevy dealer to work with so that when issues start coming, I'll be at a good place that's got parts to fix them. Going to the dealer for oil changes at Saturn served me well, because though I may have spent a few extra bucks for the service they were good on catching problem areas in the car before they blew up causing serious problems. I figure, I'll use this oil change as a test of Mirak's service. I doubt that they'll wash and vacum my car as the Saturn dealer always did, but we shall see. :)

In other news, our large family brunch is this Sunday. Brian and I picked up most of what we need last night after dance class and I'll grab a couple more things this weekend that I'd want to be fresher (sliced fruit, bagels and cream cheese). Its looking like we'll have a large crowd, so here's hoping we have enough food for everyone (at some point I'll make a list, do the math, and figure it out more concretely). I just got off the phone with my great-aunt Doris who I owed a call with directions. She is coming, but regrets to inform me that Lorraine and Dick (other great aunt and uncle) won't make it since Uncle Dick just went back into the hospital (see, I never even knew he had been in the hospital before, for 5 months). It will be nice to see people we haven't seen in forever, and for a lot of people this will be the first time they are seeing our house.

Unrelated, we started working on another part of our new tap routine last night - with canes. We'll be dancing to the song "Tap Tap" from "The Tap Dance Kid", entering with canes and then doing the routine we've been learning thus far this year - should be classy! Remember Alfonso Ribeiro from the 80's TV show Silver Spoons? He was the original Tap Dance Kid (also seen in the "Who broke my window?" commercial, where he breaks his neighbor's window with his baseball but tells him the truth about it (it was from the Mormons), remember that?) :)

I miss commercial gingles. "I can walk like a penquin" :)

Freakonomics

A co-worker had asked me if I had read this book, but I hadn't heard of it. Then I was at a party a couple of weeks ago talking about Henry Rollins and his skit about what he'd do if he was president involving fabulous gay men breaking up the KKK, and someone else mentioned the book. I decided I had to read it.

Being a sociologist, I'm no stranger to reading data sets, analyzing things, looking at regression analysis, the difference between relationships and causation, and unexpected underlying elements. I think the goal of this book is for people to look at things critically and understand the potential underlying motivations of people or organizations. As such, though I learned a few interesting things in the book (about cheating in sumo wrestling, someone making an ass out of the KKK by spying and then contributing to superman episodes where superman fights the KKK revealing secret details of the group, the connection between crime drops 20 years after Roe v. Wade) I wasn't as blown away by this book as I thought I would be. The description was quite tempting, and as I stood in the Harvard Coop a couple of days before Xmas and read the book jacket to Brian he commented "Wow, I might even want to read this". Unless you like numbers, I don't think so.

It was enjoyable, just didn't grab me as much as I expected (I wonder how much of this is because the book isn't that exciting, or if its because the concepts just aren't that novel to me given my academic background). Would anyone like to take from me to read next? I see no need to hang onto it (but I bought it because there was no chance in getting from the library any time soon). I could bring it to goffee tomorrow.

Wow, only 1/4 and I'm done with book #2. After reading a self help book on organizing and an economics lite one I'm on to something fluffy - a memoir of an old metalhead that I can't recall the title of.