“Reverse” Carfax

During our recent car-shopping, we bought a 10-pack of Carfax reports so we could learn the history of the cars we were evaluating. We only used a few of the reports (and they expire soon), so I thought I’d use them in a novel way. I decided to plug in the VIN of our totaled van to see where it wound up.

Turns out the van was issued a salvage title on Friday. I’m not sure who got the title, though. I was thinking maybe someone is trying to repair it but I suppose a junkyard would need a title to keep it, too.

Another interesting thing is that the accident report is listed, but Carfax wanted to charge me $7 to read it. That same accident report can be viewed for free on the Raleigh Police Department website.

February

I used to look down on the month of February, being a short month and all and typically cold (and sometimes messy). Lately I’ve come to appreciate it because of the dramatic change that takes place during the month. We enter February in darkness and exit it with far more daylight than we started with. It’s the month with the most dramatic increase in daylight.

Oh, and its also the month of my dad’s birthday.

Coolest. Wife. Evar.

I’ve got the coolest wife ever. This afternoon Kelly helped me move 8 12-foot-long sheets of drywall from our garage, through two turns, and up the stairs to the attic. While it was hard work, she was right there, step by step.

I love a woman who knows her way around construction materials!

Raleigh police arrest prostitute in sting

I should have known when I read the headline saying “Raleigh woman arrested in prostitute sting.” Why wasn’t that plural, as there are many areas of Raleigh where prostitution is an ongoing problem?

Then I read the article. This particular prostitute was advertising on Craigslist, and set up shop in a hotel room. In other words, she wasn’t standing on Raleigh street corners, or working out of the city’s public parks or neighborhood streets.

If you couldn’t tell I’ve got a much larger problem with one of these scenarios, and what the woman was doing ain’t it. What two consenting adults do behind doors is their business. What they do in public parks is a different story altogether. When Raleigh decides to crack down on this business I’ll be much more impressed.

Community involvement

Just got back from a Raleigh CAC meeting that was delightfully fun and also a bit contentious. I’ve been to a handful of them now and this one by far was the most productive. There are still individual concerns about the body and how it’s supposed to work, though. It’s totally herding cats.

I’m finding myself stretched pretty thin with all I’ve got going on. I’m glad I still have a job, though. For as long as it lasts, at least. There really is no such thing as “safe” anymore.

Japan to patrol for pirates

In what I consider to be a move as remarkable as China’s decision to deploy far from their home waters, Japan decided to send warships to patrol for piracy off the Somali coast. Japan’s constitution limits it’s military to strictly self-defensive measures. I think its clear Somali pirates pose no threat to the Japanese homeland, nor has any Japanese ship been taken by pirates as yet.

It will be very interesting to see what lines the Japanese navy are and aren’t willing to cross during this deployment.

GPS Prof Rock Star

I came home to a surprise package in the mail from my favorite fifth-grade class, Mrs. Jarrett’s at Conn Elementary. In it was a big thank-you card from Mrs. Jarrett and her class as well as 14 handwritten papers from the kids saying what each learned from my GPS talk.

Here’s a sample letter:

Dear Mr. Turner,

Thanks for coming to my school. From what you taught us I learned that their are 4 satellite signals for a GPS to work. Another thing learned was in 1978 the first GPS satellite was launched. I also learned how the earth rotates 360 times a day. I didn’t know GPS couldn’t be used indoors. On more thing I learned was Sputnik was the world’s largest sat. in space. Thanks for coming!
Sincerely, C

Here’s another one:

Dear Mr. Turner,

Thank you for comeing to are school. I learned a lot from you like 1978 the first GPS satellite was lanched. I was glad that we saw you. I think your teachings will help me in the future. Please come back for the next qurter to show them what you know.
Sincerely, S

Getting a packet full of thank-you notes made me feel like a rock star! The talk sure was a blast, and the kids might actually have learned something. I’m pretty sure, though, that I described Sputnik as being basketball-sized. I’m amused to read how it’s become the world’s largest satellite!

I look forward to being invited back!

Good birthday dinner

Saturday night Kelly and I met up with some family and friends at 18 Seaboard to celebrate my 40th birthday. We were originally promised a private room but due to some sort of mix-up, our room went to another party and we sat in the main dining room. It wasn’t a bad trade-off, as we were showered with free appetizers and extra attention.

The food was fantastic, the company was, too, and a good time was had by all. If only we were able to squeeze into the Berkeley Cafe to see The Duhks play as we planned the night would’ve been perfect.