Over the weekend I was trying to shop online for floor mats for my Honda CRV.  Naturally I went into Honda’s official retail store first.  Now seeing that a brand new floor mat would set me back a few hundred dollars, next stop… ebay and amazon.  

I thought there would be substantial savings through them but as it turned out their just a tad under the regular retail price.  A little disappointed I thought of just placing stretched out plastic bags for the meantime.  It’s winter, and the car’s floor is wetter and soon enough, I know it would smell and breed molds and mildew.

My wife saw the plastic bags and blurted out a laugh.  “You should have asked me!”, she said.  So off we drove to the nearest Dollar Tree store to get cloth mats.  Silly me,  I never imagined that $5 would buy what I need.  There are great mat designs to choose from even.  It’s ultra-cheap and it’s washing machine friendly too.  How’s that for convenience.

Lesson of the day… at least for me!

What do you do when all of a sudden your regular dad becomes the most powerful leader on earth? Ah, the many things that the Obama daughters are experiencing right at this very moment is … is… man, even I couldn’t possibly find words to describe it.

Let’s just say that they’re under a lot of stress. Even if dad and mom would say “this is just fine, or we’d all be one big happy family in the White House”, these kids must have a big red question mark hanging on their heads.

They know that things will change. People will change. Friends will change. What is there to do?

The Bush twins, Jenna and Barbara, first set foot in the White House when granddad George Sr. was elected president in 1989. The girls were just 7 years old then, and their wonder at the mansion–its beauty, welcoming staff and rich history–is apparent in an open letter they’ve written to Malia and Sasha Obama.

Check out what they have to say to the new kids in the White house:

The twins write, “Go to anything and everything you possibly can: the Kennedy Center for theater, State Dinners, Christmas parties (the White House staff party is our favorite!), museum openings, arrival ceremonies, and walks around the monuments. Just go.”

The letter ends on a more somber note, with the twins reminding the Obama girls to keep sight of whom their father really is, and that aside from outside perceptions of the commander in chief, he’s their dad, first and foremost.

Words of wisdom, eh? 🙂

 

Brought home a new baby in the family… the Honda CRV EX 2009.  Born out of hard negotiations with our Honda dealer here in Wisconsin, 2 months struggle actually, before we got to shake hands.  The test drive was great, the all-wheel drive really plows through icy roads and snow like a steady breeze.

What I really love most is the feel of both a car and a family van… it’s in between.  I got the height feel of a van and the interior feel of a car.  Yes it’s a little smaller than the usual breed, but I think that’s where it stands out.  Gas per milage ratio is just perfect for city driving with a few long trips every so often.

I would have gotten it in red but midnight blue just stood out.  My… it’s my dream machine… at least for now.  Got my eye on a Honda Odessey too. Har har. 

Check out my baby’s webpage… right here.

 

I am currently in the USA doing a little traveling between Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota.  One thing that really caught my attention are the wide high ways on this part of the USA.  Clean, wide, superbly marked, clear visibility from miles away.  Perfect for my good trusty cruise controlled 2006 Lincoln Cadillac & it’s trusty GPS guiding system.  Never missed a turn, a stop, or that all important pitstop every so often.

Oh, one thing that was really new for me were the highway oasis.  It was so cool to get refreshed and fed while on the road.  No time for those exit amenities, ah, then the highway oasis is a dream for the frequent driver.  These mimic foot bridges, only imagine them about ten times as wide, and filled with food shops.  Varying from McDonald’s, Aunt Anne’s, Starbucks, KFC and Subway, there’s nothing else to look out for on the road, except feeding that growling stomach on one of these oasis.

Oh and did I mention that these are wifi hotspots too?  Cool eh?

 

My daughter is in 4th grade.  Barely a month and a half into the 2008-09 school year she comes home with a school fundraiser catalogue. Hmmmm.  Just last week, a niece came with the same catalogue of chocolates, literally eye-balling me until I churn out a $10 bill for a box of chocolates.  My daughter, ha (!) she doesn’t need to eye-ball me.  She knows I’d order from her too.

I kinda like school fundraisers but I would disagree it being done at least in the first semester of the school year.  Can’t we just push it later like say February or March?  Parents are preparing for winter,  our moolah needs to be in our pockets so that we can pay winter utilities.

Anyway, that said, I’d like to commend fundraisers that are well-run and well-aimed.  A solid purpose comes hand in hand with a well oiled plan to reach the goal.  I don’t mind sharing my blessings when I’m sure that they will be used… never abused.