Monthly Archives: December 2010

My Honda reaches a milestone

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On 4 December 1996, I drove my new Honda Civic home from Lundgren Honda in Auburn.  Fourteen years later, at 8:24 this morning, I watched the odometer click to read 300,000 miles:


Okay, so I didn’t take the photo until this evening, but at least you know that the car didn’t explode after traveling so far.

I’m not a sentimental person, and I’m not into cars either, so I’m not posting any “What we’ve gone through together” type stories.  I am a numbers guy, so here’s what I have for you instead.  These are the mileage numbers from each December when I went for my state inspection:

  • 1997 – 16,950
  • 1998 – 36,470
  • 1999 – 57,000
  • 2000 – 79,230
  • 2001 – 99,980
  • 2002 – 118,450
  • 2003 – 138,730
  • 2004 – 159,790
  • 2005 – 182,070
  • 2006 – 205,120
  • 2007 – 228,625
  • 2008 – 252,700
  • 2009 – 275,785
  • 2010 – 299,555

And I still get 40 miles to the gallon.  Thank you, Honda!

Pod People Updated

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Year’s end is probably as good a time as any for review and reflection on the past.  In this case, I thought I would look back at a previous post and see if I have anything new or different to say.  In  February 2008, nearly three years ago, I wrote about the podcasts I had discovered on iTunes, shortly after I bought my first iPod (yes, I’m on my second now).  So, did I make good choices?  Am I still as enthusiastic about the concept of podcasts?  Yes and yes!  I’m a faithful listener to the same four podcasts,

  • Girl Meets Girl by Makena
  • Science Talk by Scientific American magazine
  • This American Life with Ira Glass
  • A Way With Words with Martha and Grant

and I also quickly found a few more about which I can say, “I’m a fan.”  These are

You can find all of these by searching the iTunes Store, or you can click on the links above.  Here’s a quick summary of each podcast:

  • New Yorker fiction – A writer reads and discusses a short story published in the magazine, 30-45 minutes, monthly
  • Nature – Roundup of science news, 30 minutes, weekly
  • Moth – True stories told live without notes, 15 minutes, weekly
  • Intelligence Squared – Oxford-style debating brought to America’s shores, 60 minutes, monthly
  • SYSK – Stuff you should know (really), 30-45 minutes, weekly

Did I mention that these are all free?  They are, though of course contributions are welcome, especially if the podcasts are produced and distributed by non-profit organizations.

More recently, in fact, only about a month ago, I discovered that I can download audiobooks from the Jones Library website; using Overdrive Media Console software, I can transfer the titles to my iPod and listen to unabridged books that way (you need to have a C/W Mars library card to access the digital catalogue).  There are hundreds of titles available, in many different categories, including literature, history, biography, mystery, romance, and science fiction.  It’s a great convenience not to have to drive to downtown Amherst, find a parking spot, and then try to find a book to check out before my parking meter expires.  Since I still commute many miles to and from work, this may become my preferred way to listen to audiobooks.  The books aren’t formatted as 45-minute sides to a cassette tape, but I’ll adjust.  Stay tuned!