In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood
Originally uploaded by treough.

The movie "Capote" documents the research work Truman Capote and Harper Lee did in Kansas for this book, so I know how painstakingly complete and accurate "In Cold Blood" is. Capote's examination of the disturbed mind of a mass killler is very disturbing to me.



Perry Smith turns his desire to be an independent man into an anti-social loathing for everyone 'normal'. His few 'friends' are those men who pretend to take him seriously so as to flatter him but then use him for their own ends.



Like all weak men he seeks the approval of others. But he doesn't trust others and so his need for approval is never met. Perry is a lone wolf, and the lone wolf belongs in the wild.

XM Radio

XM Radio
Originally uploaded by treough.

Lani and I bought Cindy an XM radio. We comparison shopped, and Delphi (the General Motors parts maker) had the best design!

You can pause or replay live radio for up to 30 minutes. It has a built-in FM transmitter, remote control and a stock ticker. I'm hooking the receiver up to her home stereo, but the head unit can be moved to another docking station set up in the kitchen. Over 100 channels including BBC. Nice.

Dayton

Dayton
Originally uploaded by treough.

Cindy drove us to Dayton today to see the Treasures of Ancient Egypt exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute. Very good show. But it's a dreary drive across flat farmland from Columbus to get there. The freeway was lined with franchise food chains, motels and warehouses. They treat the land here like dirt.

Car Culture

Photo_122605_001.jpg
Originally uploaded by treough.

I just stepped outside to take a morning walk, and it's very cold. There's a bit of white left on the ground where snow plows have piled it up. I came back inside, not because of the cold, but because this housing developement doesn't have sidewalks. Sometimes, without a car, I feel like a second class citizen.



It's night now, and we've been at Easton Mall for dinner. We went to Barnes And Noble to buy books. I bought "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. We saw the movie "Capote" last week and enjoyed it.

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio
Originally uploaded by treough.

We're staying in Columbus with Lani's sister Cindy. Cindy has a new Ranch-Condo in Gahanna. It's quiet,spacious and has a finished basement, garage, sunroom, deck, high ceilings, and hardwood floors. Very comfortable.

SF to Chicago

SF to Chicago
Originally uploaded by treough.

SuperShuttle picket us up from home at 4am and dropped us off at the United termal at SFO. Baggage check and security went quickly, and we're now waiting for our our Chicago flight to board. We're bracing ourselves for the 4 hour flight that should be jam packed.

Grassroots Motorsports

This magazine is a source of no-nonsense car tuning advice for AutoX and Roadracing. One of their current projects is an H-stock auto-X Mini Cooper. It's been hard to find good suspension tuning advice for these cars because it's not until after 4 years of production that a car can compete in the SCCA Improved Touring class that allows suspension modifications. So I can't yet find any info on spring rates. However, this article gave recommended toe settings, which is a big help ( Don't use these settings on the street unless you're prepared for your car to over-steer ).

Blog Movies

After publishing yesterdays blog I noticed the mini movie was very slow to load. I opened the movie it in a new window and did some web browsing while I waited for it to start, which was about a minute! I'm disappointed. I've kept these files very small so that those of us with a dial-up connection can see them. I think the Ourmedia server might be swamped with holiday season downloads.

In the meantime, open the movie in a new window (or tab) and do something else. If it doesn't start in 1 minute, wait longer...

Cars Dawydiak

Cars Dawydiak do beautiful restoration work, and they have this showroom downstairs. About 15 years ago they called me to replace the windshield on a Saab. While I was there I took a good look around their repair shop. It's very clean and well organized. The atmosphere was calm, relaxed and professional. I would definitely bring a car here for restoration.

Another time I went there to deliver a radiator cap for an E-type Jag. The Mechanic pressure tested the cap and sent me back to my shop for another one. It wasn't good enough for him to use on this car.

Cars are viewed by appointment only.

MTA Strike

Photos:Sam Hollenshead


I support the 33,700 members of TWU Local 100, and I urge the TWU International to backup their members in the face of court injunctions and fines.

Support from the International can end this strike now. Michael O'Brien, show your faith in the workers and the power of Union Solidarity.

These workers are fighting "broadbanding" or job combinations that would result in one-man crews on some subway lines. The MTA also seeks to cut wages, medical and pension plans for new hires under a "productivity drive".

The workers of local 100 have voted to resist these assaults on their working conditions and benefits for new hires by withdrawing their labor. The Mayor retaliated by obtaining a court injunction under the Taylor Law, which bars strikes by city employees.

Meanwhile, the MTA is running a $1 billion budget surplus.