Dry the rain

by Michael S. Kaplan, published on 2005/05/15 22:01 -04:00, original URI: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2005/05/15/417663.aspx

It was really sunny yesterday. This works well since I have a convertible and got to run with the top down.

I do need to point out that only an optimist could ever live in Seattle and own a convertible. It's not the rain so much as the gray, the "it might start raining soon" that plagues all but the summer months here.

Anyway, today was not quite so sunny. I decided to get some of the General's Noodles from Typhoon! and I had not put the top up yet.

I decided to leave it down; it was not raining right now, and I figured if everything went wrong it would just be a few drops.

So I stuck in Beta Band CD into the car and made it to Typhoon and back, all on just one playing of the song. There were a few drops of rain on the windshield but nothing you'd really notice.

I do really like that song. I liked the Beta Band even before they saw a small revival from the movie version of Nick Hornby's excellent book, High Fidelity. Though I liked the book better; England is a cooler setting for than Chicago, even if that meant John Cusack wouldn't be able to star in it.

No intent to disrespect John, he did fine in the surrounding movies of 1999 and 2001 anyway. And while we are on that topic, I think Serendipity is at least 70% of a Say Anything (and Rob Gordon is about 60% of a Llyod Dobbler). If you don't know what I mean you probably ought to see both movies at some point (I have seen them 41 and 111 times, respectively -- more proof that I suck as a pessimist?). Take someone you love or someone you think you might love at some point. If you know what I mean (if you don't then you should definitely see the movies).

One more thing -- the movie Meet Joe Black is on right now. Now I think Claire Forlani is just fine as an actress (though I probably liked her better in Antitrust, a movie which did not do much for me otherwise). Anyway, wouldn't Meet Joe Black have been just two hours (rather than the 3:10 it clocked in as) if more of this woman's meaningful pauses and stares ended up on the cutting floor? I don't think the movie would have suffered any for it.

Oooh, what car do you drive? I've got a convertible, too - it's my pride and joy!! Check her out:

http://www.autogaleria.pl/tapety/img/peugeot/peugeot_307_cc_2002_02_m.jpg

This isn't my actual car, but mine's the same colour (though my leather is all white). I should really put up a pic of my actual car, hehe....

You should stop by bldg 50 some time and check out Chris White's convertable:
http://www.carrollshelby.com/images/photos/shelby_cobra-viper.jpg

My current car is a Saab 900.

Previous cool cars that were convertibles include a Porsche, a '68 LeMans, and my all time favorite, which was an Alfa Romeo Spider with the quarterpanels of a Graduate.

I've had some lame cars in there too, but the only ones I'd be willing to admit to are the ones in the preceding paragraph. :-)

I'm not usually a fan of American cars, but I might make an exception for the LeMans. I drove a (much newer) Pontiac the last time I was in the US, and while it had a big engine, it felt like I was driving a cruise ship, rather than a car... :)

I really loved High Fidelity. I didn't read the book, thought. Oh, no frame portraing Claire's face is a wasted one, so I disagree about cutting any of her stares :-)

"Dry the Rain" is a phenomenal song... one of my all-time favorites. The Beta Band is really good live - you have to try to catch them if they come by. A few years ago, they were opening for Radiohead; I'm really sorry I missed that pairing.

Even with GM owning them, Saabs are only American if you are talking about the SUV 9-7X... Thankfully GM let Saab run free for a long time with the 900/9-3 and 9000/9-5 - but no more (9-7X, a badge engineered GM and 9-2X, a badge engineered Subaru WRX). Sad times - may it hopefully keep the marque alive for making other more traditional Saabs.

MHO, of course: Say Anything, Grosse Pointe Blank, and Better Off Dead... best 3 Cusack movies in order. :-)

I so wanted to like the Saab-aru... Being both a Saab and Subaru fan. But I got one as a loaner last Friday when my 9-3 SE was in getting a bit of work. Had a tempting sounding engine (by the numbers), but had a really horrific 4-speed automatic that sapped any of the fun out of the engine. Nearly 10 seconds with the gas floored to force an upshift on the highway.

Ah well - nothing like a loaner to make you love your car even more when you get it back! :-)

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