Well I made up my mind to go with the iPod for my mp3 player needs. It just seemed like all the reviews and ratings favored the iPod. And even though I don't use a Mac, I figured it had to be pretty compatible with Windows, since most computers aren't Macs.

Here is a link to a great site that helped me make up my mind...

And here is a pic of it. I spent way too much time loading my CDs onto it this weekend. I only got 1,500 songs into it and I've still got about 2/3rds of my CDs left. I also got distracted by some of the free downloads in iTunes.

I think the best part is that you can upload video and DVDs onto the iPod with the right conversions. I have always wanted to be able to listen to the audio from movies during long drives and now I can.

My one complaint? A 60GB iPod really only holds 55GB of stuff. Now I know technically it has a full 60 gigabillion bytes, or whatever. But when it comes to space I can actually use the number is really just 55GB.

And it is disappointing when you plug your new 60GB iPod in for the first time and you've already lost 5GB. That's like 8 percent of the total memory gone before you've loaded a single song.

Still, the thing is pretty sweet. Now I just gotta figure out my car adapter of choice. I think I may go with the one that puts it over the radio so I can use it in any car, rather than just one with a tape player. That's important since I have three cars.

So I'm in the market for an mp3 player. After refusing to give in to the trend, I finally have a reason to buy one.

In both my Monte and Cutlass, I cannot install a modern CD player without cutting the dash. And that isn't an option. So I have to live with a tape player at best.

And that means I need to get an iPod and one of those adaptors to play my tunes on the radio.

The problem is I have no idea what kind of player is best. I know I want something that will hold all of my CDs (maybe a few thousand songs.)

Other than that, I just know what I don't need. I don't need it to play video. I don't need to handle songs purchased online.

Any suggestions? I'm not really worried about getting a cheapy deal. I'd rather pay for something decent that deal with junk.

Well I spent the past weekend working on both of my cars.

On Saturday my dad and I changed the bushings on the Cutlass. It took all day and was really dirty. But the car rides much smoother now. However, as usual, as we fixed one problem another popped up. This time it looks like the rear freeze plugs may be leaking. We put in a can of the stop leak and we'll see if that fixes it. So far, no leaking.

On Sunday I put on a lot more of the lower body trim on the Monte Carlo. That's the pictures above. There were some trouble spots. The rocker chrome is really loose and will probably need to be screwed down. Also the rear trim isn't staying tight in a couple spots and may need a screw too. I'm sure perfectionists will cringe at the idea of putting screws through new trim, but I need it secure and am not worried about winning awards.

So I'm reading the Sports section today and I notice a picture of Danica Patrick at the top of the page. I am drawn to the picture because A) I'm a car guy and B) I'm a GUY.

Next to her little semi-glam mugshot is a quote from a fellow IRL driver.


So what's the verdict? Shamelessly sexist? Or just a driver giving the competition a little good-natured ribbing?

I was checking out some of my car sites during lunch and stumbled onto this video, featuring four different novelty vehicles (couch, shed, road boat and some unidentifiable fourth)

I was ready to move along. Then they decided to race them. And I was hooked.

From the number of downloads I know a lot of you folks listened to the 911 call from the recent Park at River Walk drowning.

Here is a 911 call that is a lot less dramatic and sad. This is apparently from a Southern California cop shop and from a few years back. But it illiustrates an issue that came up following the local drowning:

How much should government protect us?

Give it a listen, I think you will agree it is pretty interesting.

Note: This audio file has apparently made the circuit of the web before. Snopes even has a page on it.

I spent the weekend working on my Monte Carlo, installing window felts, lower body trim and some sweet tires and rims.

Check it out here.

Here's a pic to whet the appetite.