white noise

So I’ve had the new car, the Lincoln MKX, for a little over a month now and, yup, I’m happy with it.

The shopping process itself though was long and disappointing, though. Disappointing in seeing just how uninspired the auto industry is, at least in the SUV segment. Say what you will about the Aztek, at least it had some awesome features that were outside the box of what everyone else was doing. Today’s SUVs are all minimally sporty and have a homogenized level of utility. They really are fitting as the preferred transportation of suburbia because they perfectly mirror the comfortable, but completely unremarkable houses lining our neighborhoods. There are small ones and larger ones, basic ones and plusher ones, but they don’t really differ much. When I finally made a spreadsheet of around 17 different options, staring at all the similarities in their specs and features was daunting. Staring at their styling was also not helpful (oh, I see, this one has a little different slant to the window there…)

The test drives were probably the best part of the process, but there, too, there wasn’t much differentiation. They all had a great ride and nice bells and whistles. But occasionally there was something off enough to knock it down a peg. Eventually deciding to nix cars with three rows of seats and forego the possibility of hauling 4×8 sheets of material helped narrow things down considerably. After a few months it was clear there’d be no obvious winner standing apart from the rest, so it pretty much came down to choosing something with the best price to feature ratio. The certified pre-owned MKX certainly fit that bill. Anyway as much for my reference as anything, here’s how the new set of wheels stack up to the old.

I was amused how you can barely even tell there’s an engine in here. Everything is encased to reduce the noise. I

A month ago I said farewell to our faithful Aztek friend. After twelve years of trusted service it was finally time to move on. I took more than enough ribbing over owning that car. Yes, it had a quirky shape (or just downright ugly by most accounts). Fine, it didn’t have stellar power. Sure, it had a knack for catching the slightest breeze and turning it into a lane veering gust. And yes, maybe it marked the beginning of the end for one of America’s proudest auto brands. But in practice it was extremely useful, innovative, and trouble-free. It had cavernous cargo room, a great sound system, an awesome turning radius, technology that’s still hard to find (in the heads up display), and of course, A FREAKING TENT.

But eventually the maintenance items were starting to pile up (a nonfunctional fuel gauge, a couple badly worn bearings, a couple fan settings that didn’t work, etc), and the final motivation was when the air conditioning gave up as the heat of the summer approached. Knowing the time was coming, I spent months looking for a replacement, and eventually choose a low miles, certified 2011 Lincoln MKX to be the successor.

The Aztek was the first car I moved on from that wasn’t completely totaled when we parted ways (either by fire, or rollover, or deer). And for that it deserves a special tribute:

In April we lost our friend Nigel to sudden complications from high blood pressure. He fought for nearly two weeks in the ICU, but the odd chain of events was to drastic to overcome. If I could’ve composed a few coherent thoughts to share at his memorial, they might’ve gone something like this.

I didn’t attend the same high school as Nige, nor the same college, and until the morning of his memorial I never realized it, but we never even (technically) lived in the same city. So how random, and lucky, is it that over the past 20 years I’d come to think of him as one of my best friends. I first met Nigel as one of D’s crazy group of friends in South Bend. She had gone to high school with him, and they’d run cross country together, but it was after graduation they really got better acquainted. I first connected with Nige because we shared the same interests – industrial and alternative music, video games, science fiction, etc – and I would later come to see we also enjoyed a similar outlook – one in which you don’t sweat the small stuff and you enjoy the present more than pin hopes on the future.

I don’t think there was such a thing as being an acquaintance of Nigel. Even though Nige lived in Indianapolis the last several years, he made over to quite a few Halloween parties. There in the fog and dim lighting, our local friends met him without a proper introduction, and exchanged just brief conversations over loud music. And even then, they could see the cool and caring person he was. Meet him, even for just a few minutes, and you’d feel like you’re already friends. Get to know him a little better, and you’d soon be treating him like a brother.

There are so many great memories from over the years – camping trips, concerts, or even just weekends hanging out in South Bend, Bloomington, Indianapolis, Columbus, or Cincinnati. If there was a camping trip being planned or a concert we wanted to see, he would try to be there. And if there was a mosh pit at that concert, well, you knew he’d be there (and if you were there too, you knew he’d be watching that you didn’t get pushed around too hard). He didn’t always have the money or the time to take off work, but if he could, he’d be there. And not just because he loved to do those things, but because he loved to do them with us.

It’s heartbreaking, not just to see Nige go so soon, but just at time when he seemed to finally get the right pieces in place. Nige leaves behind his fiancee, Sam, and their two month-old baby, Jonas. I can’t imagine how hard the years ahead will be on them, but I do know all the love Nigel gave in his days, is pouring back. Nigel was also raised without a father and he turned into one of the best people we’ve known. I have no doubt Jonas will follow in his Dad’s footsteps.

We held a great party in his honor in Indy, which I dubbed Nigelpalooza. More than any memorial this is definitely what he’d wanted – friends old and new, coming together to tell stories, drink some great beer, and listen to all his favorite music all night long (the playlist we made was over 11 hours!). I made this video to show at the event, and it gave everyone a chance to laugh a little, cry a little, and give thanks to our friend.

Keven Smith and his skinny onscreen counterpart, Jason Mewes, stopped in Covington on their podcasting tour. Since I once drove all the way to NYC to play poker with him a few years ago, driving downtown to hear them banter was a no-brainer. The theater was PACKED and it wasn’t nearly the same as sitting with him at a 8 person poker table, but it was a lovely and vulgar evening none the less.

To quite little fanfare, another year has gone – though this one slightly more stinging than usual. As the clock struck 12, I enjoyed a bit of our best tequila in a snifter and reflected on the 30-something years.

I managed to avoid anyone noticing my birthday at work, and with that avoided the collection of black cliche’ cubicle decorations that keep getting passed around. Spending this milestone overseas didn’t happen as maybe I was hoping, but there will be other summers.

So, don’t go carting me away. “I feel happy!”

Today Amazon announced that their ebooks have begun to outsell their paper equivalents. While Amazon is only a chunk of all publication retail, it’s a significant milestone.

I’m not surprised at all. I think every book lover I know (from aspiring writers to avid readers who just like the smell and feel of books) have now all embraced the new format. They may still buy the occasional book as something of a keepsake. They even still like to visit bookstores – something about walking among all the tomes – but they usually just take note and then purchase the ebook.

I’m finally reading my first Kindle book now, and I prefer it, too. I started it right after finishing a 400-500 page bound book that I’ve been toting around for far too long. No contest. And if I’m somewhere where there’s a wait, I can pull out my phone with the Kindle app and read a few pages from the very spot I left off on. I’ve got three books from last Christmas I have yet to read, and I’m half tempted to rebuy them in kindle form. But as much as I’m a techie, I am even more a cheapskate 🙂

What’s cool is that the older demographic isn’t lagging behind in its adoption like you see with other technology. Monday, on the plane next to me, there was a guy in his 60s (probably mid to late). He spent probably an hour scrawling lengthy hand written notes on a yellow legal pad. Then he pulled out his kindle and read for an hour or two. This was no hipster umbilically connected to his laptop, yet using the Kindle came naturally.

Clearly there will be different devices for different purposes and the true shift will happen as more options gain popularity. The iPod did a lot to bring music to the mp3 age, but it’s the ubiquity of player options (from devices like iPods and phones to services like last.fm and Pandora) that really makes the CD industry fade away. The Kindle is the perfect modern day paperback – compact and versatile for any environment, but lacking for graphics and technical docs. Tablets may prove to be the device of choice for textbooks and graphic novels.

Photos, movies, and music have all made the shift away from their physical form. Books have held out the longest, but the writing is on the wall. It makes you wonder how libraries (personal and institutional) are on their way of becoming tomorrow’s obscure record collections.

June had been a crazy busy month, so it’s time to speed-post a few things. First up…

Dawn and Chris tied the knot earlier in the month. The wedding was…Catholic…but whispers of spaghetti monsters and big Jesus hugs helped pass the time for us pagans in the back pew. Everyone was looking sharp, and Dawn and Chris looked completely happy and content.

The reception was very nice with good food, good musicians, and of course more shenanigans. The official festivities ended fairly early in the evening so we decided to have an impromptu afterparty on our deck. There were probably 10-12 of us (including the bride and groom) and we drank and laughed deep into the evening. It was a great time (exhibit A – check out the ladies having fun with crazy hats).

(Hate to have two posts like this back to back, but sometimes that’s how the chips fall)

1921 – 2010

Warren was Grampa Miller’s brother. A solid family man, active in his church, and a heck of a singer and bell ringer. We only saw Warren (and his late wife Ruth) on rare family occasions, but they good people. Among the memories, I’ll never forget their kind congrats at my college graduation party that they delivered to a video camera so cautiously they might have been defusing a bomb. Obituary

1972 – 2010

Five days ago, Bob celebrated his 38th birthday. Sunday night he died suddenly from a massive heart attack.

Hard to believe it’s been five years since we lost Corrie, and now another from our close high school group is gone. We had so many great times just doing mindless things teenagers do to manage the awkward claustrophobia of high school. Cracking open my old yearbook, I’m reminded that he left me a full page of script. Amid all the inside jokes and well-wishes for life at OSU, are these words which seem so fitting in return:

I guess a lot of things happened this year, probably more than anyone expected. You’re going to be missed a lot around here. Nobody will have anybody to “rumble” with while you’re gone.

So, rest well sir. You were a great friend and from what I understand, a great family man. You leave behind two cute kids, and my heart goes out to them. I do hope they will remember you well. I will.