"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W.C. Fields

From friend Scott's Facebook page. And if you see a connection between this and the quote at the top...well...I'll leave that up to you.

Toyota has killed their Scion line. Pam had a first generation xB, and of all the cars we've owned and/or she's driven, that was far and away her favorite. Nobody used the word quick to describe it, but it was surprisingly spacious inside, small and maneuverable outside, and nothing but perfectly reliable. I don't think we ever did more than belts and tires over the 80,000 miles we put on it. We bought it new and sold it eight years later for half what we had paid.

I'm nearing completion of my prep work for P.R., which is just over two weeks away. (Just writing that makes me a little nervous for what I have left to do.)
I'm also starting my prep for Tanzania. I leave on 3/29 and return 4/14 (two days' travel each way), so it's not that far out. We've been shooting emails back and forth to talk about session topics and other details, but that's not an ideal format for something as complex as this. So this morning I got a call from Cory H., the missionary there who works in Mbeya, TZ. I'll do a leadership seminar there on Friday and Saturday, preach there on Sunday, and then fly to Mumba (deep in-country) for sessions and preaching over the next week. Cory and I talked through several things, including topics for the six seminar sessions in Mbeya, how I should dress, visa issues, doing laundry....
The conversation increased my eagerness for this adventure, and the ease with which I talked with someone on the other side of the world is mind-blowing. I'm old enough to remember when we had a party line (if you don't know what that is, just shut up), and our phone number was six digits with a name prefix: (Su)nset 1646. This morning I talked to someone in Tanzania with clarity equal to phone conversations I have with people in Eugene.

Toyota announced today that they're killing the Scion brand. The xB was a trend setter (cf. the Kia Soul and Nissan Cube), and Pam loved her first generation model. The xA struck me as so small it was scary, but friend Jeff put crazy high miles on one doing his daily commute. Their "performance" tC didn't.
Syonara Scion.
In the spirit of "Nyah, Nyah," Ford announced today that they're pulling out of the Japanese market completely.
Anybody else think this feels like Trump/Cruz?

Speaking of silly season, look at this example of overcooked cleverness:



I went to see my new GP on Monday, and as of this afternoon I have initial appointments with a cardiologist and a dermatologist the first week in March. And that's only because I'll be in Puerto Rico for the last 10 days of this month. They could have been sooner.
In AZ it could easily be two months out to get an appointment with a specialist.

We did our Thursday dinner out night tonight. On the way to pizza at Countryside Diner (a 10" pizza with three toppings for $9.95) we stopped at the feed store. Left with a heat lamp so I can get the proper distance from the floor set before I go to P.R. and Pam goes to MI, so we can get the chicks as soon as we're back. The chicks need 95 degrees when we bring them home, and then the lamp gets raised at the rate of a 5 degree drop each week. After 6 weeks they'll be fully feathered out and can go out to the coop sans artificial heat.
While there we talked with a very helpful gal who convinced us that the eight hens we want will be two each of four different breeds: Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, Bard Rock, and Sex-linked. They don't sell roosters (cockerels when they're chicks) unless you buy "straight run," but she told us a couple of ways to get a rooster at that 6-week point. Besides the many options on Craig's List there's a livestock auction every Saturday morning in Junction City, 30 minutes north of us. We decided that auction is a must-do, whether we need a rooster or not. Should be a fun outing. And I'll keep my hands in my pocket lest I come home with two steers and a llama.

I'm starting to feel the stress over all the prep work I have left to do.