The Breasts that went Too Far.

First of all, let me make something perfectly clear: I feel terrible for anyone who is, or is closely related to a victim of breast cancer. I believe breast cancer research is important, and I believe it should continue (just try stopping it, anyway). And I’m definitely a fan of breasts, in all shapes and sizes. But seriously… things have gone too far. The pink ribbon is spiraling out of control.

Breast Cancer awareness has hit on every product you can possibly think of. I have quarters with a pink ribbon on them. I have some “So Good” Vanilla Soy milk in my fridge with a pink ribbon on it. Motorola has a Pink version of the RAZR to help support breast cancer. You can test-drive a BMW, and for every mile you drive, $1 goes to breast cancer research, education, screening & treatment programs. They also have a Pink Ribbon Collection of miscellaneous items you can buy to help support breast cancer. This month, HBC is encouraging me to Think Pink. The list goes on and on.

So, what’s the problem? Isn’t it all for a good cause? Of course it is, but in this case, I think it’s simply “too much of a good thing”. It has become a marketing phenomenon. It’s literally taken over almost every consumable product that comes to mind (right now, I’m waiting for DuMaurier to start marketing pink cigarettes. That oughta boost sales a bit, and it’s not exactly a new idea. Can you imagine how much money they’d raise if $1 from every pack of smokes went to breast cancer research? It would almost be worth starting up smoking again – at least the money would go to a worthwhile cause, instead of the government).

Still, there's nothing wrong with successful marketing, right? True, but have a look at this report from the US Department of Health and Human Services. In 2002, the #1 cause of death in the United States was heart disease (28.5%). The #2 cause was cancer (22.8%). Of these cancers, 8% were attributed to breast cancer, which means that 1.824% of all deaths in the US in 2002 were attributed to breast cancer. That’s lower than the overall accident death rate, which accounted for 4.4% of all deaths (think about that next time you want to cross a busy street in Manhattan).

Or, put it this way: All cancers put together are the #2 Killer. Breast cancer alone? The #10 Killer, behind Alzheimer's, Flu/Pneumonia, Diabetes, Stroke, Emphysema/Chronic Bronchitis, Lung Cancer, and Colon Cancer.

Yet, breast cancer gets all the attention. I'd be willing to bet that the amount of money generated from the public for breast cancer research is up in the top 3 of all of these causes of death. Our society loves boobs (Who doesn't love a good hollywood clevage shot?). If someone were to even suggest that maybe too much funding and attention is focused on breast cancer awareness and research, they’d be branded woman-haters. They’d be ridiculed and put down for being inconsiderate and unfeeling. They'd be... uh... I dunno... Boob-Bashers. But, they’d also be absolutely correct. Too much money IS spent on breast cancer. Especially when there are other important causes out there with far less funding or awareness. Where’s the brown ribbon for colon and rectal cancer? Where's the "Prevent Accidents - Don't Be Stupid" ribbon?

Breast cancer awareness has simply gone too far. And I don’t see any sign of it slowing down. The first decade of this millennium may be remembered as the pink years.

I never really was a fan of pink.

Sometimes, teachers can be morons.

I know a few people that have become teachers (not "Educators", but teachers). They're not terribly intelligent, and they're terrible at spelling and stringing together a sentence. This letter makes me think of them.



The only difference is, this letter is well-written. I'm pretty sure they're not capable of such (*ahem*) great prose.

The Killers

A coworker of mine recently went to see the Killers in concert ... somewhere. I think I know a song or two of theirs... (I'm *so* not cool anymore).

What was interesting were the pics she got. Normally at a concert, you'd expect to see a lot of this:



You know, the standard concert scene: lots of arms up in the air, people waving their hands, displaying the "rock on!" symbol (or "I Love You", if you're into sign-language). Maybe a beer can here and there. Instead, what a lot of her photos showed was this:





I'm sure it's not much of a shocker to regular concert-goers... but I never realized how much digital technology has penetrated and changed our society... even concerts!

Cool.

Prestige Motors - Dealers in Fine Crap.

This morning, I received an email from Prestige Motors. One of those generic sales-type emails companies will send out from time to time. Usually, not a big deal.

But let me tell you a story.

Back in November of 2002, I was looking for a different OTM ("Other Than Miata"). I was currently driving a Cavalier, and needless to say not terribly happy with it. I came across an ad for a Miata for $4990, as well as an ad for a Mazda MX3 Precidia for about $2500, if memory serves me correctly. The Miata had already been sold, but the MX3 was still available. I went down to take it for a test-drive, and the car itself drove ok, but I wasn't sure about the vehicle overall.

To make an offer on the car (I can't remember how much I offered), I was allegedly required to make a $100 deposit to "indicate that I am serious" about purchasing the car. This, of course, was fully refundable if I didn't purchase the car. As it turns out, they declined my offer, and I didn't purchase the car. For some reason, I didn't get my deposit back before I left. I can't for the life of me remember why. Maybe I was intending on making an offer on another vehicle, maybe I was waiting to hear back from them about the MX3... After 4 years, the details have become fuzzy. In any case, I've emailed them back a number of times, with no response whatsoever.

Of course, I've sent a few emails from time to time, all with no response. I haven't really sent anything in a year or two, from what I can recall. Today, I got this email:

Some time ago you contacted our dealership "Prestige Motors" for a car or truck. This is just a friendly reminder of our Annual Fall Clearance going on right now with 10% to 30% discounts.

You can visit www.prestigemotors.ca for all the HOT DEALS!!!

If you looking to obtain financing visit www.prestigemotors.ca/credit or call us toll free at 1-877-257-3500 or in the local Toronto area 416-256-3500.

Best Regards,

Sales & Management

Prestige Motors

So, I decided that today I would send a response, which looked something like this:

Hello there,

Some time ago (in 2002) I placed a $100 deposit to make an offer on a vehicle which I didn’t purchase, and was never reimbursed this money.

I’ve emailed numerous times about this, but since that didn’t help me get this money back, I’m sure emailing now won’t help either.

I’m sure you can also imagine my thoughts when I receive advertising in my inbox from a car dealership that has taken $100 of my money and refuses to make any effort to contact me regarding it.

You can also imagine the number of people I’ve mentioned this to over the years, recommending they NOT do business with your dealership.

And yet, you still send emails to me…?

Strange.

Test Drive Friday - the sequel

So, after a lovely drive in a 2004 (not 2006) Nissan 350Z, it was almost time for lunch. Since I had such a nice drive, I was in a particularily good mood, and decided to buy some lunch for Silvermane and myself, and have lunch with her at work.

After a nice (quick) lunch and watching Silvermane slowly become a Workaholic, I rushed off to Mazda for my 2:00PM appointment to drive the '06 Miata. (Note: She's not *really* a workaholic. There. That'll keep me out of trouble!)

I should note that of all the dealerships I went to, only two of them allowed me to book an appointment via the Internet: One was Honda, and the other was Mazda. Richmond Hill Honda never called or emailed to confrim, but Avante Mazda did. The same day I requested a test-drive, I received an email from Danny Koh to confirm the type of car I wanted, and a time of 2PM.

I arrived precisely at 2:00PM, and met up with Danny who was there waiting bells on. Very impressed, and made me feel valued as a customer (Honda, take note). The first thing we did? Play with the Power-retractable Hardtop (PRHT). :) There is only one word to describe it: Brilliant. You can buy the normal hardtop for somewhere around $1800 from the dealer (doesn't show on Mazda Canada anymore?), or, for for $2195, you can have the power-retractable version. Not much more money, and for that you get an amazing piece of engineering. The roof retracts in about 12 seconds. AND it takes up NO trunk space. NONE. Eat that Pontiac Solstice / Saturn Sky.



Upon taking the car out to drive, aside from a few little things, the car feels very much like the old Miata. Same handling, more power, and the exact same exhaust note as mine (except for the slight rattle mine's developed in the last 9 years). Except now, it's a little nicer inside: There's more room (wider), and the interior is far more elegant. You get more toys. You can even get heated seats.

Like a lot of people, I liked the fact that the Miata was very minimalist on heavy things like power accessories and convenience features. I didn't even mind very much that there weren't any practical cupholders in it. But now, you can have all that, without the weight restrictions: the new MX5 has gone on a binge diet. It has all these extra features, more power, more space, and barely any more weight (about 84lbs extra for the retractable hardtop)! How can you argue with that?

And, how can you argue with the price? Starting at about $20K LESS than the 350Z, I can have as much (if not more) fun. I get a bit more trunk space. I can get a retractable hardtop. And, I don't have to get that terrible, terrible orange interior. I can choose a black interior. That interior was the only downfall of the new MX5 I could find. Well, that, and the keyless-entry was a bit difficult to get used to, since there's no actual key to put in the ignition. I think in time, I would find that never having to pull my keys out to start the car is pretty cool.

Overall? I'd buy this car in a heartbeat, and have a ton of cash to spare!

Test Drive Friday - Part Two

So far, I hadn't driven any cars at all. And from looking closely at the Sky, I really didn't need to drive that one (or the Solstice). And, given the hoops to jump through just to look at an S2000 up close, I figured why bother with the Porsche? Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind at some point.

I arrived at Alta Nissan, and one of the first cars that I noticed on the lot was this one:



Yup, that's right. A 2004 Z with only 28,500 kms on it (I didn't know the mileage right away, but I got to finding out later).

In any case, being late morning on a Friday, the dealership was relatively empty. I walked over to the black coupe in the showroom, opened the passenger-side door, and started taking a look at the car. I took note of the sumptuous leather interior, the numerous storage compartments, the well-appointed interior pieces, and also took note of how the air duct connected with the passenger-side door. At this point, A salesman came up behind me and greeted me. I can't remember his exact first greeting (maybe "Good Morning", maybe "Hi"), but I distinctly remember his next phrase:

"How'd you get in there?"

"Uh, I opened the door and got in. Why, am I in trouble?" I joked.

"No, you're not in trouble, it's just that the car should have been locked."

Turns out, the battery was drained on the car, and as a result the doors weren't locked the night before. In any case, this set of a great long conversation with the salesman at Nissan. They didn't have too many Z's on the lot. They had 3, to be precise. One was the black one in the showroom that I broke into-er, um... sat in, another was a convertible which was also in the showroom... and the third was a blue convertible which was outside. I suppose we would have taken that one for a test drive.... if it weren't an automatic.

So, I ended up taking out the 2004. The 2006 has 300HP, whereas the 2004 has approximately 287HP. I don't think I'd have felt much difference... but I'm sure I would choose the 2006 with more power if given the option. :D

My first impression? The first thing I noticed is that the gauges all move with the steering wheel when you tilt it. Very cool. And possibly the first car I've driven that does this. The second thing I noticed? It's a bit cramped... or rather, it feels cramped. I think this has to do with the fact that I took out a roadster version with seriously tinted windows, so everything inside was very dark. The rear window of the roadster is much smaller than the coupe which adds to this, but also a bit closer to the driver. I think a week or two of driving this car, and you'd get used to it. Everything is very well laid-out, and it's a very comfortable interior to be in. I'd prefer the coupe version of this car. It's lighter, has more storage space, and better visibility. Of course, at this point, I haven't even driven the car yet.

After getting the car on the road, the perma-grin that was pasted on my face when I first bought the Miata came back. This car is a ton of fun. It pulls strongly throughout the power band. I think you'd have to hate driving to not have fun driving this car. And the SOUND! Surprisingly quiet inside despite being a ragtop, but just loud enough to hear that fantastic exhaust note. Don't get me wrong, it's no Ferrari... but I can still hear it in my head while sitting here typing.

The 350Z also has a limited-slip differential, just like my Miata. In the Miata, I really have to bang on the gas to engage it. It comes on even easier in the Z, most likely due it having more than twice the HP of the Miata (AND about 1000lbs more weight than the Miata). It does prove to be good fun, I have to admit! I think on a rainy day with little traffic around, this car could be a lot of fun.

Overall, I love this car. I started feeling guilty for liking it more than my '97 Miata. But, then I realized that it's in a different market segment: Starting price for this one is about $20,000 higher than the 2006 Miata. After taxes and other add-ons, I could almost have 2 Miatas for the price of this car.

After driving this car, I was off to test the 2006 Miata. Would it be as much fun as the 350Z?

*** UPDATE ***: I checked Alta Nissan's website this morning, and noticed that the price of this car has been dropped. Originally they were asking +/- $41K for it; the price is currently $39,888. If you're interested in it... it's a steal at that price.



(Here's an interesting bit of trivia: The photos of this car were taken at the Nissan Dealership on my 30th Birthday!)

Test Drive Friday - update

Well, I didn't have as much fun as I expected. The day sort of went like this:

9:30AM, arrive at Honda dealership. Find out that there are NO S2000's on the lot. To get one to their lot, I need to leave them with $500 of my money, and wait about two weeks. Apparently there are less than a dozen of them at dealerships in Ontario... a quick search this past weekend on AutoTrader showed about 38 Honda S2000's... most of which were used. So, off I went to the Saturn dealership, as it was right down the road.

10:00AM at the Saturn dealership, and there's a Sky in the showroom - with a huge "SOLD" sign in the window. Doesn't look bad. Isn't ugly like the Solstice. Upon close inspection: The dash is made of cheaper material than the keyboard I'm typing on, and has a rougher texture to it. The body doesn't line up nicely at the front end where the hood meets the side fender (about a 1/4" gap - product shots show this much, much smaller). The trunk doesn't seem to close properly, leaving a larger gap on the passenger side than the drivers' side. And then, I sat inside.

There's a neat-o pop-out cup holder on the passengers' side of the Sky. This was the last cool thing I noticed about the Saturn. The glove box is big enough to fit an average-sized romance novel. There's also a small storage compartment between the seats, big enough to fit your wallet and phone. And... this center compartment doesn't lock! This is a major problem if you need to store anything in the car, due to the "limited" trunk space. I didn't see a lock on the glove box, but I assume there HAS to be one there: the "trunk" release is in the glove box. And, here's how you put down the roof:

1) Open glove box, and press "trunk" release.
2) Unlatch convertible roof from inside car (relatively easy)
3) Open rear boot (trunk) to accommodate roof
4) Lower roof into trunk
5) Close trunk
5.1) Close trunk again, as it didn't close the first time
5.2) Close trunk yet again, with more force. Still doesn't seem to close on passengers' side
5.3) Let salesperson slam trunk for you, as the car has been allegedly "sold" already - and I don't want to be responsible for breaking it (It never did close completely).

One thing you'll notice when you put the roof down, is that the roof completely fills the trunk. There is NO usable space remaining in this trunk with the roof in place. And no storage space under the hood. You're limited to the two small storage compartments within the car (one of which doesn't lock at all!).

Putting the roof back up is relatively the same, with two small differences:

1) Latching the roof is much more difficult than unlatching it - it doesn't meet up with the windshield without some conscious effort, and
2) once the roof is up, those "wings" at the back of the roof need to be snapped down.

Those wings were more difficult to snap into place than closing the trunk was. I never fully got them to engage - again, this is where the salesman needed to be rough with the vehicle for me. I have serious concerns about the long-term reliability of these pieces. Either those high-tension cables that hold the wings in place are going to break, or all that bending and pivoting is going to make the convertible top crack and break down over time.

I never actually got to drive the car, as there was only one there.

The verdict?

- NO trunk storage
- Very little interior storage, most of which cannot be secured
- Poor fit & finish
- Cheap feel to interior pieces
- More attractive than the Pontiac Solstice
- Looks and feels like a GM Product

Based on what I saw here, I decided that I didn't need to see the Pontiac Solstice, and headed off on my way to the Nissan Dealership.

Test Drive Friday!

This Friday, I have the day off... and what better to do, than go around town and test-drive some cars?

I've narrowed it down to 6 ROADSTERS. Given that if I did purchase one it would likely replace my current MX5 Miata, it definitely has to be a 2-seat roadster, and it has to be at *least* as fun to drive as my Miata. Bonus points if the car was designed as a roadster (not a coupe with the roof cut off).

The 6 to be tested (in no particular order) and their respective starting prices are:

Mazda MX5 Miata - $28,095
Honda S2000 - $50,300
Nissan 350Z - $53,698
Porsche Boxster - 63,600
Pontiac Solstice - $26,625
Saturn Sky - $31,935





I realize that the Solstice and the Sky are essentially the same car... but, they're both affordable, and the Sky isn't exactly the ugly stepsister that the Solstice is. Plus, for some reason, the starting price is almost a full $5,000 higher, which is worth finding out why.

Also, the Audi TT would have been in the list, but for some reason, it doesn't appear on Audi's Canadian website? May be that the 2007 model hasn't been released yet, but wouldn't they have a 2006 model?

In any case, 6 cars will make for a long day. I'm hoping to spend about an hour with each car. Good thing 5 out of 6 dealerships are on Yonge Street!

Party Sheep

I know I'm just asking for it to be placed on this site more, but...

This morning I looked at the blog, and saw an advertisement on the right for Bachelorette Party Sheep.

I'm not sure what part of Google's Adsense crawler-thing actually decided that advertising blow-up sheep dolls on my site was a good idea. But, I have to say, if you're in the market, I'm sure they can help you out!

They even have a FAQ section, which answers great questions such as, "Why an inflatable love sheep?".

A question that's been asked for a long time, no doubt. One you might be able to answer by taking a trip to the southern United States.