I had thought about going home to the Valley with my brother this weekend to help him on his car buying task, but I decided to stay in town for multiple reasons, the least of which being that my own car still needed work. I had thought that all the tire drama was behind me, but the used tire I had purchased ended up being a dud with an unrepairable hole. I guess you get what you pay for right. I ended up ordering a new tire (different brand name to save me a hundred bucks) and it came in on Saturday. I took my car in Saturday morning and got the tire mounted and finally had that trouble taken care of once and for all. (crossing fingers again.)
After my morning in a repair shop waiting room, I went to get a much deserved car wash. Nothing like a haircut and car wash to make you feel like a new man. The weekend was quiet, but went well. A lot of thoughts to process and sort out, though for the most part I just ignored them. A friend of mine told me that a quiet weekend was probably a very good thing. I think I agree. I also got some great news which really made my weekend.
I have been wanting to get my father a car for the last few years, but have found myself unable to for various reasons. It was unreasonable and unsafe for him to be driving that old van he has. I've failed different times I've tried and know a part of that failure has been my priorities or at the least my willingness to do more. This time Abram and I came up with a plan to trade in my Dad's '92 van under the Cash for Clunker's program and buy him a new car. If you only knew how much we have talked about this. Abram went down to the Valley on Friday to make it happen. To our dismay, the Plan A we laid out failed and even our backup Plan B failed soon after. Filled with the groom of failure, Abram and my Dad went to have a steak lunch to raise their spirits. During that time, instead of conceding defeat, we came up with another last chance Plan C and they went back to the dealership to make it work. In the end, my father ended up with a new, well priced, economical car that will serve him well. My brother and I had just bought my dad a new car. The old van will now be destroyed and the proceeds were used to lower the cost of his new car. I am glad to see it go. Of course the true test will be making the payments each month, but that we will be happy to do. Below is my dad's new car. 
My sister Ana and her kids were in town for the weekend. They had a great time on their vacation at the Cowboy's training camp and the water park. They came over on Sunday and we got to visit. It was Andrew's first time visiting since we had been in Austin. Too bad they have to go back to school so soon.
This weekend was UFC 101. The fights were pretty good, but nothing too impressive. Maybe my expectations were just too high for this one. The main fight ended too quickly. Abram brought home a dryer from my mom's house. Now we just need a washer and we will have our laundry services up and running again. Buying a washer on craigslist isn't very easy since most people seem to be selling them in pairs. Luckily, I sent my laundry to the valley to get done with Abram, so I can still take my time to find the right purchase.
The quote preceding my entry above I picked because it reminded me of a good friend of mine. A friend that I was recently told that I speak about with too much admiration at times. Sometimes you run across a person that you can think out loud with, bat ideas around with and compare your worldview against. A person willing to indulge your random thoughts and debate them to its conclusion if necessary. You feel like you learn something from conversations. In my experience, that is a rare find, though I have been lucky enough have many friends under this category over the years. I guess the quote got me thinking about those friends today and how lucky I am to have them. The quote also describes how I see my blog, which is me just thinking aloud about the trivial.
Dogs As Smart As 2-Year-Old Kids: Study
The finding in the study is based on a language development test, revealing average dogs can learn 165 words (similar to a 2-year-old child), including signals and gestures, and dogs in the top 20 percent in intelligence can learn 250 words. Imagine how differently you would see the world if you saw all dogs as little 2 year old children walking around?
It's almost time for a new season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which probably means more inappropriate touches from Dennis, another bad relationship for Sweet Dee and some hilarious, nonsensical rants from Charlie. This is a great show that you should watch. The 'Nightman Cometh' episode is one of my favorites. I would love to see they play they are doing, but it isn't coming near Austin.
My friend went on to make the point that "someone who claims the government doesn't do anything right is making a pretty strong statement. He doesn't have to quit using all gov't programs to avoid being a hypocrite. He just has to be able to propose an alternative means of accomplishing the same thing that is at least as effective and efficient." That seems like a fair compromise to me.Bill Maher: New Rule: Smart President ≠ Smart Country gives good context for this as well I think.
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