What you say makes sense only if you can envision owning a car for four or five years or more. If you see owning a car for three years, everything is ducky for two years and then things fall apart and the center does not hold. Stung by this anarchy loosed in your garage, you get yourself a new car. If this is your context, you've been reading too much Achebe/Didion/Yeats/etc., but leasing makes sense.

Since I think cars are meant to be kept for several years -- or, in my case, nineteen years -- this outlook strikes me as weird. To me, getting yourself a new car every few years smacks of Imelda Marcos' shoe-buying habits, and I retain the right to be judgmental about this. Perhaps if I were an elderly woman living in an igloo, I might feel differently, but that does not seem to be in the cards for me.

Tribute to TF
 

Hey TF. Congrats on your Braves. This is one of the most remarkable runs in sports history (how many division titles in a row is it? 12?) and well worthy of mine (and Jesse Barfield's) acknowledgment.

That said, I think it's time for a new avatar picture, even if 23 game winner Roy ends up winning the Cy Young.

And now, a story. Freshman year of college, during the "Exotic Erotic" party that my college hosted ("the more risque, the less you pay," or some such nonsense), my friends pulled me over next to my first floor window, and told me to look through the brief corner that was imperfectly covered by my giant Canadian flag.

My roommate was having sex with a skanky fellow frosh. On the bottom bunk of our bedroom. The bottom bunk was mine.

I wish I could say I kicked his ass, but I didn't. I just asked him to wash the sheets, or some shit. I was such a puss.

str8

O'Canada
 

I don't understand what you are saying. Who is they? The article I read said a little girl (from CA) who played for a boys team in Windsor was beat up by her dad (also from CA, not that that has anything to do with anything). Nothing about the team not wanting her to play.

Survivor XXXVI
 

Starts tonight. A preview --

Three years and a month after the first season concluded, the seventh season of Survivor debuts on CBS. The 90-minute debut of Survivor Pearl Islands, which begins at 8 p.m. ET, will follow 16 people stranded on two islands off Panama's coast with nothing but the clothing they're wearing. CBS News reports the cast members "were told to dress to the nines, in preparation for an interview." Jeff Probst says "their reaction to it was fantastic. Their first reaction was, the jaw dropped." Also, Jeff tells the AP that when a player started drowning, he told "antsy rescuers to wait and see if the person's teammates would come to the rescue." Jeff also reveals that this season includes "the greatest lie ever told" and a tribe full of "idiots" and "ugly Americans," The Beacon journal reports.

Photo Retouch Fun
 

Someone, I see, is a little touchy.

And there I go diluting the sex talk myself...

Ad(hurricanes, apparently, make me hungry)der

This might be true if you total the repairs and maintenance you should do. An owner is likely to do what he should. A leasor often ignores everything shooting to just keep running until the turn in day. This results in very low mainenance costs.

The car companies are cracking down on this practice, but in general I bet leased cars still have lower actual costs than purchased cars due to the ignore factor.

My last car I leased, and had it for 3 years. I wouldn't do it again. They were so damn nitpicky I ended up owing a lot more money than I wanted to owe to turn a car back in. Also because I didn't drive it the miles I could have I felt pretty ripped off. Got bad advise from Daddy on that one.

My present car I own. I've had it almost two years, and according to blue book its trade in value is still quite high.

I try to buy cars that maintain their value somewhat, but to me it's a car, not an investment. It needs to look reasonable so people don't look at me in it and shake their heads sadly, satisfy my transportation needs and be safe. That would be in reverse order of importance. It also needs to not break down a lot. Finally I do need to enjoy driving it, or at least not abhore it.

If it does these things or a reasonable balance of them, I'm happy. When it stops doing these things I am no longer happy and it goes.

I have noticed my Dad thinks he knows a lot more about cars than he actually knows. Offer them list my ass.

Survivor XXXVI
 

I am looking forward to this, and I have not followed previous Survivors. I think it's because the cast includes a gravedigger and a mortician. This sounds promising. Naming the show "Survivor" implies that some do not survive. Perhaps this season the show will live up to its title.

I had an old VW Rabbit that started needing more frequent repairs. I asked the repair guy whether it was worth putting more money into it. He told me the smaller relatively inexpensive repairs were worth it, but if it ever required a major repair, forget it.

The current Fugeemobile is loan free and I intend to drive it for several more years. But to me a car is merely a means of getting from Point A to Point B so I don't mind driving an older car.

Tribute to TF
 

Why thank you for noticing. If the Phillies beat the Marlins today, the Braves clinch their 12th consecutive division title. Yesterday, Bobby Cox managed (and I use that term loosely) his 1,900th win. Javy Lopez has 40 HRs as a catcher (and 1 as a PH) and needs two more to top Todd Hundley's 1996 major-league record of 41 home runs by a catcher.

Before getting cable and becoming a Braves fan in the early 80s, the Phillies were my team and it would be grand if they helped us clinch today. That being said, it jinxed us last year to clinch on an off day. I have said that it would be nice for them to clinch tomorrow against the Marlins with me in attendance (which I will be).

And pre-season hockey starts tonight, in case I failed to mention that. I think I will leave the office early so that I can get to the rink and fight little kids for flying pucks in the pre-game warmups.

And now for something interesting.
 

Penske, you said you weren't socking anymore. Liar liar pants on fire.

Photo Retouch Fun
 

Speaking of retouched photos, who's picture is on the cover of Hillary Clinton's new book:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/07...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://www.ijohn.com/images/lying_hillary.jpg

Question about sex
 

I have a question.

If you are in bed with someone really good looking (really good looking, not just cute) and that person's technique is not all that good, do they get a pass just because they are devastatingly beautiful/handsome? Or would you criticize them to your friends just as much when they are gone as you would someone not so good looking and equally lame in bed?

SL/FL
 

Anyone catch the Sorority and Fraternity Life premieres?

SL: Don't think I'll be watching it this season. Only one of the girls (Meena, the dance troupe one) is even moderately attractive. The pledge mom disturbs me as she looks like a 50-year-old old maid schoolmarm/librarian type and a lot like the neighbor that I loathe (READ THE DAMN HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION RULES!!!) . They also skipped the rush process for this one, so I am less interested in the pledges. The "Even though I was talking loudly ouside your door at 2:30 in the morning, the fact that you asked me to quiet down shows that you are disrespectful of the sisters" bit cracks me up every time.

FL: Much more entertaining. While I think the cast would be more attractive with fewer piercings (lots of nostrils and eyebrows), they are at least fun to watch. While it won't be aired. 2 of the guys are being prosecuted for catching and cooking (and eating I believe) some really old koi that was some big campus tradition or something.

Photo Retouch Timmy
 

whose indeed.