Tiny Cars for Tiny People

I was a little caught off guard when I saw my first Scion xA:

Scion xA (photo from Consumer Guide)

For the briefest moment, I thought I was looking at a Geo Metro, which my friend Jojo drove before she traded up to a Honda Civic. That is, I thought it was a Geo Metro before I saw the sleek Scion logo on the back of the car.

The humble Geo/Chrevolet Metro, also Ned Flanders’s car on The Simpsons (photo from Consumer Guide)

It’s nice to know that consumers now have more options should they choose to size down from their SUVs. A report I read or heard recently indicated that the popularity of cars like the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Mini Cooper and declining sales of SUVs along with increasing gas prices are spurring automakers to focus more upon developing small cars.

Writing Tips

A writer once observed that some people just like to attend writing classes; they don’t necessarily want to write. I feel that way sometimes, like after I come out of a great writing class, have read something really inspirational, or read a published work that makes me jealously think I could have done better. Finding the motivation to write is a difficult proposition. Established writers almost always suggest that a better strategy is to set a writing schedule and apply oneself to writing as if it were a regular job.

Tonight I had my first class of second semester. The class is Long-Form Nonfiction, taught by Ron Rosenbaum, who writes a column titled “The Edgy Enthusiast” for the New York Observer among other credentials. He had a lot to share with the class, suggestions for how to be a good writer. Here are some:

Hollywood Adaptation

If I still read Slate regularly, I might not have missed Ursula K. LeGuin’s article, “A Whitewashed Earthsea”, when it was first published on that site.

I’d considered watching the Sci Fi Channel miniseries based on LeGuin’s Earthsea books (the first of which was actually assigned reading in 7th grade). After reading this article I’m glad I get to keep my version of the books uncorrupted in my imagination. Not only does LeGuin mention what it’s like as an author to have no input into an adaptation of your work, she goes on to discuss how the adaptation utterly ignores the races of her characters, instead opting for a nearly all-white cast.

Things You Didn’t Know You Needed

I never used to pick up SkyMall, but then I realized I like looking through catalogs (more so than shopping in person). On my latest airplane trip, I was flipping through SkyMall when I noticed this item:

WonderVase

According to the catalog, WonderVase is made of a “stury, thermal-plastic material” that can be molded into a vase shape when exposed to warm water. Once molded, it can be filled with cold water and flowers. I’m not sure I’d go so far as the catalog to claim that the product looks like glass. But I like the fact that WonderVase can be stored flat. The catalog suggests that it can be used while traveling to brighten one’s hotel room, but for someone like me who gets flowers fairly infrequently, a vase like this would definitely cut down on the clutter factor.

On the other hand, this item might look nice, but I wonder whether or not it merely makes people more fearful:

EVAC-U8 Smoke Hood

Though the hood is recommended for when one is traveling, I wonder whether or not something like this might make more sense for one to keep at home or at work, given the fire that occurred in a Chicago high-rise in 2003.

On an unrelated note, after my airplane ride I had a hell of a time navigating the MTA (New York City) with my suitcase. Even though I was using one of those suitcases with wheels (for the very first time!), getting to and from the airport was still a hassle. For one, I was stymied every time I got to a turnstile. At least the CTA (Chicago) turnstiles at O’Hare Airport are wide enough to accommodate a grown person with a suitcase. But I had to lift my suitcase over the MTA turnstile every time I went through. Then there are the numbers of stairs that I encountered. I actually don’t know how someone in a wheelchair could have navigated the route I did because I don’t recall seeing any escalators and very few elevators. I’ll probably go back to traveling with a duffle bag. It’s slightly lighter than the suitcase, and I can carry it on my shoulders instead of having to watch out for this thing behind me.

Time Zone Confusion

Funny how one can get tripped up by something like time zones. I’d been in the Central Time Zone the past two weeks and now I can’t get straight where I am. When calling family and friends and trying to figure out what time it is there, when tuning into a show on TV, I still think I’m in Chicago. It’s too bad that I’ll have to wait until 12:30 now to catch Conan O’Brien.

Not to mention the different numbers for all the major networks. Is it channel 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13 or 22?