farewell old friend

I finally did it. I traded in my ghetto fabulous country trekker CRX. I drove a black '91 Honda CRX for about eight years. A month or so ago, I rolled over 200,000 miles!

Yes, it didn't look like much to anyone else. But for me, that car had some true meaning. I drove that heap all through college, across the country (twice), and I hardly ever had problems with it. That car was my companion when I lived in California. That car and I saw Vegas, Hollywood, and the Grand Canyon together. I drove friends, family, and some animals along the way. She was good to me, that's for sure.

I got a slightly newer, slightly less beaten Honda Civic. A much needed improvement. Farewell, old friend.

American arrogance

The following is an excerpt from The Chicago Tribune. It's from an article written by sports writer Andrew Bagnato.

SAITAMA, Japan -- As they warmed up before Friday's semifinal against Greece, the U.S. players put on a jam session for the fans. Dwight Howard dunked emphatically. Dwyane Wade bounced the ball off the backboard, caught it and stuffed. Elton Brand jammed an alley-oop pass. Finally, LeBron James flew down the lane for a tomahawk. As the crowd roared, the Greeks lined up at the other end and shot free throws.

The moment foretold Greece's 101-95 victory in the semifinals of the world championships. The U.S. has dazzling skill; the Greeks are a dazzling team.

At first, I was going to use this article as an example of American arrogance. You know, the big world superpower arrogantly sweeping in and assuming every win. A sort of tortise and hare story. But upon second glance, the article only reveals humanity. These American guys play hard on the team, and maybe I shouldn't rush to that kind of judgement. It's bordering on cynical.

Anyhoo, that's about it. I don't have anymore deep insights into life. I'm still holding on to my job, trying to keep up with a bizarrely demanding schedule.