Sibling Success

As I suspected, my car's latest coolant spewage was the result of a poorly-secured hose, and nothing serious. The fellow at the repair shop fixed it, thoroughly tested it, and refilled my two empty anti-freeze jugs before sending me on my way. I'm hoping the car will run happily for many more miles (and years) before the next major setback.

But I think I will start thinking about my next vehicle. My needs are simple: 4WD, power that matches my aggressive lead-foot driving style, and room to carry my bike (and helmet, tire pump, gym bag, etc.) I careth not for fancy hood ornaments, rich corinthian leather, nor fancy computer screens embedded in the dashboard. And I hate to admit it (for fear of being tarred and feathered by eco-Nazis), but I'm not all that concerned about MGP. Fuel economy is great, but not if it means I hate driving the thing.

Which reminds me -- I heard an ad on the radio for a new, improved Dodge Dart. Good lord. I had the misfortune of driving a Dart a few times when I was younger, and still shudder at the memory. What a complete and utter piece of junk! I can't believe they didn't retire the model name and burn all records that the car had ever existed. Even though I realize that everyone responsible for that design has long since retired, and that the company is probably now in the hands of responsible and decent people...I still can't overcome my instinctive reaction of intense nausea at the mention of that car. I will not be looking at the Dart as my next vehicle.

I have the same problem with Ford and GM. I actually liked my Pinto a lot, even though it crumbled to dust after 75,000 miles. But after a horrible customer experience with a Bronco II, I lost my respect for the company. With Chevy, I liked my Camaro (and probably should've kept it), but couldn't even believe what a pile of crap the Monza was. Then Tanner's mom and I made what is definitely the worst car-buying decision of our lives; we purchased a Cadillac.

The weekly breakdowns, leakages, and malfunctions were bad enough. But even when it was running, I hated that car. The steering was sloppy, the driver's seat was uncomfortable, and the heating system's "intelligent control" made it completely impossible to ever be comfortable. If you set it to 70°, it would turn on the A/C full blast when the temperature reached 71...and blow cold air on you until it went down to 69. At that point, the heater would come on like a jet engine and roast you until the sensor detected 71 again. And then, well, you can guess. I much prefer being able to choose the amount of heating, cooling, and fan level myself.

Since then, Val has stuck with Honda, and has been happy with several of them. I've tried Toyota and Subaru, and have been delighted with both. Does this mean I'm committed to Japanese brands? No, not necessarily. But that probably is where the search will begin. While I really do like and respect Mike Rowe, Tim Allen, and Sam Elliott, well -- their endorsements alone aren't enough to bring me back to Detroit. But I'm trying to keep an open mind, so we'll see. I'll talk to friends and coworkers and see what recommendations they have.

In the meantime, it's kinda cool to have a very clean engine compartment.



Anyway, I didn't really mean to rant about cars. For today's topic, I just wanted to throw out a thought that we can explore in more detail later. I heard something the other day about some royal ugly dude in, like, England or somewhere, who was going to have a baby at some point -- which meant that the new kid would eventually be King. It made me think about the poor brother who doesn't get to be king (or beget future kings or anything.) On one hand, he's lucky in that he doesn't have to deal with as many paparazzi, but on the other, well...he doesn't get to be king.

I've mentioned before that I am occasionally jealous that my brother received most of the athletic talent in our family. And he's probably jealous that I got the good looks and brains. But though we have very different lives, neither of our obituaries will begin with the words "He was the brother of a famous celebrity..." And for some reason, this line of thought led me to what I think is a pretty good book idea. Somebody should write a book called "Obscure Siblings of the Stars." It would include interviews and psychological profiles of some of the Billy Carters and Steven Baldwins of the world.

Seriously, think about the most famous people you know -- do you have any idea which ones have siblings? Oh sure, everyone knows about Isaac Hayes (pictured above) and his brother Woody. And yes, Elton John's brother Jimmy has apparently done quite well in the fast sandwich delivery business. But what do we know about Willis Schwarzenegger? Bart Favre? Mike Spitz?

While you ponder these weighty issues, I'm going to spend the day submitting proposals for chemistry research I do not understand in the slightest. It'll be fun. Stay warm, and have a great day!