Robert Hall

From '00-08 in Colorado I always had a laptop for work so snow days were usually always work from home days for me.

+1. No matter whether I was in E. Ohio, SE Michigan, or Colorado, it was never the snow that bothered me but the ice..those ice storms in Michigan were fierce in the mid '90s. Even worse--ice+fog makes me want to stay inside w/ the blinds closed.

For the winters, maybe a clean used 4x4 Trailblazer or Envoy? Get the traction plus the practicality of an SUV.

AP article Jan. 29, 2010 04:13 PM Associated Press Toyota executives have been virtually silent amid a recall of millions of their cars because gas pedals can become dangerously stuck. For their customers, oh, what a feeling - fear, frustration, confusion and anger. Since Tuesday, when the Japanese automaker said it would stop making and selling some of its top-selling models, the company has had few answers for dealers and drivers - most notably when Toyota owners could get their cars fixed and hit the road without worrying. "I'm stuck with this car," said Tony Raasch of Hales Corners, Wis., who said he hit another driver in his 2010 Corolla two weeks ago when the car suddenly accelerated. "I really don't know what to do. I just feel - I guess - ripped off is the best way to put it." Toyota first recalled 2.3 million vehicles, including the popular Camry and Corolla, because of faulty gas pedals. Later in the week, it expanded the recall to Europe and recalled 1.1 million more in the U.S. because of floor mats that can catch the accelerator. Almost certainly adding to driver frustration, Toyota is sending new gas pedal systems to its factories, not to dealerships that want the parts to take care of customers' cars, The Associated Press learned. In its worst crisis in recent memory, the company has communicated with the public in a series of very limited statements from spokesmen. One of them, Brian Lyons, said he was restricted to describing the problem as "rare and infrequent." For days, there was no indication of how long it might take to get the affected Toyotas fixed, whether the fix would be a repair or a replacement, or whether it was even safe for drivers to take their cars to the dealership. The company finally said Friday that details on the fix will be made available next week and should take about a month to implement. Among Toyota's famously loyal customer base, frustration and anger mounted through the week. Laurie Strong, a nurse from Bristol, R.I., drives a 2010 Camry and said she noticed the gas pedal seemed too sensitive - "0 to 40 in a parking lot" - when she bought the car last summer. She went to the dealership Wednesday and refused to drive it anymore. Strong, who was ultimately given a Kia, said she had repeatedly dialed a Toyota hot line only to get a message saying it could not handle calls. A Toyota customer for years, she now says she's put off. "I would be less upset and less confused if I had a person on the other end of the phone who could talk to me and tell me what my options are - what they think quite honestly, what the time frame for figuring this out and putting this into motion." It made for a maddening week for Toyota dealers, too. Jason Stewart, general manager of a dealership in North Palm Beach, Fla., said he doesn't know what to tell customers and has found out more about the problem from watching the news than from Toyota. "People on the phone, they're very scared," said Douglas Lima, the service manager at Toyota Central in downtown Los Angeles. "I received phone calls screaming and yelling and using bad words. You just hear them out." On Friday, Toyota's Web site was featuring bold, brightly colored ads for its cars and trucks, like the Prius and the 4Runner. At the bottom of the home page was a small strip with a link to information on the recall. Even some prominent rental-car companies went further than Toyota did, sending their customers e-mails throughout the week keeping them posted - in most cases saying they were removing all of the affected models from their fleets. Toyota's response, by contrast, has left experts in crisis management scratching their heads. Some wondered why Toyota didn't mount a full-court press - full-page ads in newspapers, executives readily available to the morning shows, ramped-up customer service. Toyota is certainly no stranger to advertising. The company alone - not its dealers - spent $629.4 million on it in the first nine months of last year, according to Kantar Media, which tracks advertising spending. A simple, honest, humble message would have gone a long way, said Jonathan Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management. He said the company should have sent the word out online, by e-mail, with letters - whatever it takes. His suggestion: Toyota should say it was as surprised as anyone by the scope of the problem and deeply regrets the inconvenience, and pledge to get up to speed as quickly as possible and provide regular updates. "Anytime there's a threat to health or safety, there's nothing that creates bigger concern. Nothing that freaks people out more," he said. "You're dealing with very intense feelings, and that requires sensitive and appropriate communications." The Associated Press requested interviews Friday with Yoshi Inaba, chairman and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, the company's top U.S. executive. It also requested interviews with other top executives. A spokesman said he would look into the request. Telephone and e-mail messages left for the safety public relations team at Toyota were not returned Friday. In the meantime, drivers like Johnathan Jones, who lives in Fort Mitchell, Ala., and has a 30-mile commute each way in his 2009 Tundra, will keep waiting. "I've got a $30,000 vehicle and they don't even know how to fix it," he said, huffing. "To me, it's a big safety hazard with my children. I don't want to even put them in there."

My sister said it was snowing this afternoon in Charlotte when she went to the airport..that's not very common there, I believe? Was mid 60s and sunny today in Phoenix...weather's been great here this month so far, with a storm, some rainy days, and some incredible sunsets.

As I was loading my purchases outside Target this afternoon, I saw a gorgeous 1990 Mustang GT pull in beside me..Oregon plates, bright red (a lighter color than my '87) in minty condition. I got to talking to the lady driving it--has only 30k miles and she uses it as her winter car here. Well equipped, power windows, sun roof, manual, no armrest (an anomaly of the 1990 model which had a driver's side airbag for the first time). It's pretty rare to see a Fox Mustang in original, unmolested condition...the few I see these days look worn out or are modified. It was a beautiful evening, gorgeous sunset..layers of reds over the mountains to the west, with a full moon to the east.Spring is in the air--saw 1/2 dozen people in shorts and flip flops at a pizza place when I went out for dinner, and it was only in the upper 60s today in the Chand..

Saw a 2010 CTS wagon on the road this morning for the first time...dark red. Love the taillights when lit..long and pointy. Love the rear design.

The footage on ABC had pics of some wrecked Priuses, incl. one that ended up in a river...not sure why it's not covered.

I hope it is..I really hope that the TTBs (Toyota True Believers) pause and think about what is going on today..

This is a great day... Toyota learns karma is a bitch. Their overrated mediocrity has caught up to them.

I've been emailing the links of the articles to friends that are TTBs (Toyota True Believers) to see how they react.. In particular, I've been talking w/ friends in Denver the last few days--a friend's wife has a '99 Intrepid she bought new, she wants to replace it--getting pretty worn--she was going to C4C it last fall, but didn't..they seemed pretty hot about a Camry, ES, or RX after test driving them..not so much after I sent the links to the ABC videos and various articles on Toyota/Lexus problems. I've convinced her to give the Malibu, LaCrosse, Fusion, and Taurus a test drive...

I use IE 8 on my work laptop, alternate between Chrome and Firefox on my home Vista laptop and Firefox and Safari on my Mac laptop. I'm a long time user of Firefox, but even the latest 3.6 version still hogs memory under load and is prone to random crashes. The video is pretty good...alas, after 21 years since taking a semester of Macroeconomics and a semester of Microeconomics my freshman year of college, it's all a bit fuzzy...I still remember phrases like 'utility cost'...

Word.

The Caddy seems like it be a lot sweeter than a HUMMER posermobile...

Hadn't heard of it..looks interesting. Will have to watch it.

That is a fact. Chandler is pretty boring. I work there. Some decent restaurants, though.

I'd choose Yakuza over Bloods and Crips. The Yakuza like Cadillacs.

Didn't Lawrence get destroyed by a nuclear warhead in 'The Day After'? I've never been across Kansas...driven across Oklahoma and Nebraska, close enough, figured Kansas was equally dull..

I'm assuming the hidden secret plan for the rumoured Cadillac 'ATS' is that it will be on Delta II like the Cruze and Astra.

And don't forget the limited color palate and lack of options..no gramophone? No in-car telegraph? ....

Interesting..is that a TT dash fitted to a Golf?

+1. Definitely. After my 2 cups in the morning, around 8:50-9, I have my morning power download. Very predictable, can set a timer by it.

Never heard of Keurig, but I like the single cup idea. I have a Krupps, a grinder for whole bean coffee, an espresso machine, and a cappucino machine. I really should use the last 2 more...just too lazy/busy during weekday mornings.. Anyone ever try Gevalia coffee club (where you get coffee in the mail)? I used to have an officemate that got it, used it in the office..some were pretty good, IIRC.

I got started w/ coffee young, probably 14-15. Drinking coffee and getting up at 5:30-6am, something I picked up from my Dad. I always enjoyed getting up early, sitting on the porch and drinking coffee and watching the sunrise over the hills (Ohio) or the ocean (Florida) w/ him. Throughout high school I was an early riser, less so in college and grad school (was a real night owl then, esp. grad school), then got back into early rising when I entered the corporate life. And coffee has always been part of those early mornings for me.

Interesting..I've never thought of the 4th and 2nd as being visually related, always viewed the 4th as a sleeker, more rounded evolution of 3rd gen themes...