Peeve Farm

g r o t t o 1 1

Peeve Farm
Breeding peeves for show, not just to keep as pets

  Blog \Blôg\, n. [Jrg, fr. Jrg. "Web-log".
     See {Blogger, BlogSpot, LiveJournal}.]
     A stream-of-consciousness Web journal, containing
     links, commentary, and pointless drivel.

On My Blog Menu:

InstaPundit
USS Clueless
James Lileks
Little Green Footballs
As the Apple Turns
Entropicana
Cold Fury
Capitalist Lion
Red Letter Day
Eric S. Raymond
Tal G in Jerusalem
Secular Islam
Aziz Poonawalla
Corsair the Rational Pirate
.clue

« ? Blogging Brians # »

Book Plug:

Buy it and I get
money. I think.
BSD Mall

10/6/2003 -  10/8/2003
9/29/2003 -  10/5/2003
9/22/2003 -  9/28/2003
9/15/2003 -  9/21/2003
  9/8/2003 -  9/14/2003
  9/1/2003 -   9/7/2003
8/25/2003 -  8/31/2003
8/18/2003 -  8/24/2003
8/11/2003 -  8/17/2003
  8/4/2003 -  8/10/2003
7/28/2003 -   8/3/2003
7/21/2003 -  7/27/2003
7/14/2003 -  7/20/2003
  7/7/2003 -  7/13/2003
6/30/2003 -   7/6/2003
6/23/2003 -  6/29/2003
6/16/2003 -  6/22/2003
  6/9/2003 -  6/15/2003
  6/2/2003 -   6/8/2003
5/26/2003 -   6/1/2003
5/19/2003 -  5/25/2003
5/12/2003 -  5/18/2003
  5/5/2003 -  5/11/2003
4/28/2003 -   5/4/2003
4/21/2003 -  4/27/2003
4/14/2003 -  4/20/2003
  4/7/2003 -  4/13/2003
3/31/2003 -   4/6/2003
3/24/2003 -  3/30/2003
3/17/2003 -  3/23/2003
3/10/2003 -  3/16/2003
  3/3/2003 -   3/9/2003
2/24/2003 -   3/2/2003
2/17/2003 -  2/23/2003
2/10/2003 -  2/16/2003
  2/3/2003 -   2/9/2003
1/27/2003 -   2/2/2003
1/20/2003 -  1/26/2003
1/13/2003 -  1/19/2003
  1/6/2003 -  1/12/2003
12/30/2002 -   1/5/2003
12/23/2002 - 12/29/2002
12/16/2002 - 12/22/2002
12/9/2002 - 12/15/2002
12/2/2002 -  12/8/2002
11/25/2002 -  12/1/2002
11/18/2002 - 11/24/2002
11/11/2002 - 11/17/2002
11/4/2002 - 11/10/2002
10/28/2002 -  11/3/2002
10/21/2002 - 10/27/2002
10/14/2002 - 10/20/2002
10/7/2002 - 10/13/2002
9/30/2002 -  10/6/2002
9/23/2002 -  9/29/2002
9/16/2002 -  9/22/2002
  9/9/2002 -  9/15/2002
  9/2/2002 -   9/8/2002
8/26/2002 -   9/1/2002
8/19/2002 -  8/25/2002
8/12/2002 -  8/18/2002
  8/5/2002 -  8/11/2002
7/29/2002 -   8/4/2002
7/22/2002 -  7/28/2002
7/15/2002 -  7/21/2002
  7/8/2002 -  7/14/2002
  7/1/2002 -   7/7/2002
6/24/2002 -  6/30/2002
6/17/2002 -  6/23/2002
6/10/2002 -  6/16/2002
  6/3/2002 -   6/9/2002
5/27/2002 -   6/2/2002
5/20/2002 -  5/26/2002
5/13/2002 -  5/19/2002
  5/6/2002 -  5/12/2002
4/29/2002 -   5/5/2002
4/22/2002 -  4/28/2002
4/15/2002 -  4/21/2002
  4/8/2002 -  4/14/2002
  4/1/2002 -   4/7/2002
3/25/2002 -  3/31/2002
3/18/2002 -  3/24/2002
3/11/2002 -  3/17/2002
  3/4/2002 -  3/10/2002
2/25/2002 -   3/3/2002
2/18/2002 -  2/24/2002
2/11/2002 -  2/17/2002
  2/4/2002 -  2/10/2002
1/28/2002 -   2/3/2002
1/21/2002 -  1/27/2002
1/14/2002 -  1/20/2002
  1/7/2002 -  1/13/2002
12/31/2001 -   1/6/2002
12/24/2001 - 12/30/2001
12/17/2001 - 12/23/2001

Friday, September 5, 2003
18:54 - GTI Outta Here http://www.vw.com/gti/	(top)
I tell you, it's dangerous for me to go to the VW dealer. I was there picking up my car after its O2-sensor ordeal-- which isn't technically over, by the way; they still haven't found a catalytic converter in the continental United States, and though my case entry has little red flags and overnight-ship requests and CAR DOWN! CAR DOWN! sirens all over it in the database, there's still no sign that one is forthcoming. But they did determine that the cat was most probably hosed because of the faulty O2 sensor (D'oh-- stupid sensor!), and not the other way around, and so it was safe for me to pick up the car and drive it until the cat comes in. Phew-boy. But while I was there waiting for the car to emerge from the hoser-downer garage, found myself staring at this: the GTI 20th Anniversary Edition. $28K (with hefty dealer markup) gets you the 1.8T engine, this zany yellow paint, custom metal rocker panels and armrest inserts and dash paneling, Recaro seats, rear lip spoiler (to help keep those rear wheels on the road, see), racing pedals, gorgeous gauges, and (best of all) a six-speed manual that as I played with it on the showroom floor, I could hear snicking into place somewhere deep under the hood. Snappiest shifter I've felt outside a Ferrari F355. And dammit, I found myself thinking about loan terms and monthly payments and stuff. I had to get out of there. Heaven help me, I was even starting to look at the Touareg with a favorable eye. You sit down in the driver's seat, and you feel like you're on the bridge of the Heart of Gold, with is excitingly chunky curvaceous surfaces and control panels still in cellophane wrappers. Controls rise to meet your fingers. You stare straight ahead into the welcome screen of a digital display branded for the car and its theme (sand dunes and the like). VW has vaulted straight into the luxury market, somehow, and is competing now-- favorably-- with SUVs from Mercedes and BMW. And for the record, VW's website has some of the most unspeakably beautiful Flash-animated interfaces I've seen anywhere. if the Touareg is the Heart of Gold's bridge, the VW.com site is the same bridge after its nigh-infinitely improbable transformation that escaped the missile defense system over Magrathea. It's just plain good. I can see getting sucked in there for days, only to emerge startled at the other end with a new lease agreement and no clothes. I definitely had to get out of there. So anyway, I paid for the half-done repair job and said hello once again to my trusty old (hey, c'mon, it's still new! Sort of!) Jetta, with its dusty wheel wells and its fingernail marks under the door pulls and the faded graduation tassel on the rear-view mirror, and I was pleased to note that it still had a faint new-car smell. After four years, it's still clinging to the memory of those first few giddy weekends. And as the pedal went down, I did notice that the rough idle is gone now. It's back to the way it likes to be. Hammer down, back to work. And that's when I notice that where three weeks ago I had found several large piles of bird crap on the rear decklid, and had vowed to get the service done soon so I could have them wash it off (instead of cleverly taking it to the hand-wash place and then the service place, having the mechanics slop muddy water on top of my still-gleaming wax job, as I usually manage to do), there was now a series of unsightly round spots. I got some wet rags and tried to wipe them off. No good. They're on there fast. Or it's permanent acid damage. I've got to get out of here.