For those of us who live in Las Vegas and whose occupations and interests take us into the potent concoction of tourists that come here, it’s inevitable that we will hear words and phrases we’ve never heard before. To find meaning in this often confusing world of words I often find solace by visiting www.urbandictionary.com.

As a species our day-to-day language is evolving at an incredible pace thanks to technology, migratory trends and our shrinking global village. In this country alone our urban dictionary includes a vast ocean of colorful slang borrowed from rap lyrics, popular television shows, the news, other languages and even the numeric keypad on our cellphones. Phrases derived from national news stories can become popular especially fast. Recent examples are ‘the sarah palin effect’ and ‘hiking in Appalachia’.

As I sit here in my Las Vegas ‘man cave’ I visualize the different types of conversations I’ll be having during an upcoming trip to L.A. It’s going to be a 48 hour whirlwind tour focused primarily around baby talk for a friend’s baby shower. But hopefully at least a few conversations will deviate to faultline research, politics, wine, rugby, restaurants and show business.

Or is that 2G2BT?

No matter the range of topics though, there should be plenty of opportunity to hear interesting new phrases from my eclectic array of friends in California. No doubt I’ll be on www.urbandictionary.com first thing Monday morning. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to an opportunity to use a ‘rescue chip’ (the chip you use to fish the bits of the first one that broke apart in the dip) and maybe even witness a ‘youtube moment’ (a short event where you wish you had a video camera with you. The modern video equivalent of a ‘kodak moment’) while visiting.

BTW, urbandictionary.com is also useful if you need to look up a curious letter combination in a cryptic text or e-mail message (i.e., ‘AAAAA’). An even better resource for deciphering acronyms and text messaging shorthand is www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php

A couple of parents probably started both these sites to figure out what their teenage kids were saying to each other. But any writer, journalist, non-fiction or fiction, will find these sites and others like them useful too. A nice feature on urbandictionary.com is that you can approve or disapprove of definitions without registering and you can check the popularity and acceptance of specific phrases. If you consider yourself on the bleeding edge of popular culture you can even invent your own phrase and track it’s public appeal.

If nothing else, both web-sites can usually spark a LOL even on the cloudiest of days.

OK, enough recommendations for now. I don’t want to be called a ‘backseat surfer’.

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Good decision making is best on the rocks.

When old, tough decisions are suddenly validated out of the blue it makes a glass of wine in the evening taste much sweeter. This happened to me earlier this week and I’m still energized by it.

I stepped away from creative and business pursuits in Hollywood back in 2004. Over the last five years I’ve indulged in a few moments of ‘what if I had stayed?’ thoughts, but rarely with any regret.

It was a tough decision at the time to make, but it opened several new doors of opportunity. For instance, being able to leave L.A. and move to Las Vegas. But recently the siren call has returned, just a little, but just enough to make me wonder if I made the right choice.

Aside from making short films and working on films and commercials on the side, I used to do a lot of sales work and project management for a software company in L.A. that specializes in contract management for film and television distributors. My wife and I are still good friends with the owners and I still do a little technical writing and royalty reconciliation work for them. Two weeks ago they asked me to do a demo for a small film distributor here in Vegas who is interested in buying their software. But I declined.

(yes, Virginia, there are a few film production & distribution companies operating out of Las Vegas, but for godssake don’t ask why!)

Even though like most free-lancers these days I could use the work, I declined because I’ve never worked with the new features that have been added to the software over the past five years.  I didn’t want to mis-represent the software, or the company, by doing a poor presentation. Unfortunately, the person most familiar with all the new features wasn’t available to walk me through them either.

I felt good about my decision.

But, then, they talked me into it and as a favor (mostly) I agreed to do it.

The process of getting ready for the demo brought back a lot of old memories, both good and bad.

Film distribution is an up and down business even in a good economy.  Even more so for companies and vendors that support it. Hit movie or TV series, everyone gets paid and investment in the future is made. A string of duds, payrolls are cut, vendors whither and die out on the vine like grapes in Pahrump. For me, it was most profitable when a large company decided to convert their contract management software.  (Two weeks in Hong Kong was definitely one of my most memorable gigs and if I ever figure out a Las Vegas hook to that story I’ll write about it someday.)

In the early Summer of 2004, during a dry spell in consulting work, I was presented with an opportunity outside of the film and television industry. It was especially attractive because it paid well, had some growth potential and was one that I could walk to from where I lived in Venice Beach.

It was also right during the time a former friend was in the process of sabotaging the production of a low-budget film we planned to use to launch a small production and distribution company with some other investors.

Avoiding the daily snarl of L.A. traffic, retiring from the peaks and valleys of  software sales, and escaping the hysterical ego mania that exists on the creative (underbelly) side of Hollywood had definite appeal.

So I stood at a big fork in the road in 2004. I stood there and looked around, trying to decide which way to go for several months.

It’s odd how we always come across forks in the road, but never knives, or spoons isn’t it? I guess knives just shred our tires and stop us in our tracks, while spoons just test our steering skills and shock absorbers.

But forks force us to choose a distinct path and usually it’s one-way.

After a big decision, sometimes it isn't easy to keep your eye on the ball and other times it is.

Doubt can linger after making a tough choice though. It can linger a long time and crop back up when you least expect it. I don’t regret the career choice I made back in 2004 at all. It lead to many adventures, a happy marriage, a much happier lifestyle and a revitalized writing career out here in Las Vegas.

But the Siren of Hollywood is a powerful temptress and as a former junkie to her many whims, visions of getting back into the game danced through my head as I prepared for the software demo.

But the minute I walked into the house that served as the company’s Las Vegas office, I silently rejoiced and congratulated myself for my decision back ’04.  When I got home I said the same thing to my wife that I said after spending a day at NATPE (Nat’l Assoc. of Television Production Executives) in January: “I’m so glad we got out of the Hollywood rat race.  It was tough when we were in it, but I think it’s even tougher now, especially for the small companies.”

I’m happy to be doing a little part-time work for my friends and happy to have a little peek back into the business of Hollywood. But I’m also glad to be on the outside looking in. My perspective from out here in Las Vegas seems more acute, less swayed by hype and film festival buzz than it was when I lived in L.A.

Validation of an old decision is a good feeling and I hope all of you kind readers can find a refreshing moment of similar satisfaction, even in the middle of our heatwave.

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I think I’ve figured out, at least in part, what has kept the Warner Brothers/Todd Philips movie “The Hangover” so popular even after a month in theaters. After multiple enthusiastic recommendations from a wide and diverse cross-section of friends and family, I finally went to see the film last week-end. It’s a funny, entertaining movie on the surface but I think the single most appealing element to both young and old audiences is the ability to identify with the plight of the characters (SPOILER ALERT!!!) after they mix up their meds.

“The Hangover” is really a must-see movie if you visit Vegas regularly, or if you live in Vegas and have forgotten the Strip’s wild party mythos that keeps tourists coming to our little oasis out here in the desert. Heck, Caesar’s Palace is even offering “Hangover” packages now. (kudos BTW to MGM marketing mavens for recognizing a timely opportunity)

Like many great novels the story starts out in the middle. The crazy bachelor party in Vegas is over and the groomsmen are late for the wedding because they can’t find the groom. The fact that they’re in the middle of the desert giving the bad news to the bride over a cellphone is a nice visual metaphor for being stuck in the middle of that day after wasteland most of us have experienced one way or another.

From there the story starts moving backwards. As the groomsmen retrace their steps the audience discovers with them their night of excess and debauchery. But despite all the drinking and carousing these guys manage to win the audience’s sympathy. Even older conservatives and women who would normally huff and puff about such things as guys getting drunk, going to a strip club and the unbelievable stupidity of marrying a stripper, even they love this movie!  In the character Stu’s defense, the stripper was Heather Graham. I almost proposed the first time I met her too, so I didn’t have any problem with that part not being believable.

But as I sat in theater laughing at all the hijinx on the screen, I wondered how my friend’s mom, my mom, two other older people and a few semi-religious feminists that I know could like this movie so much. Then I realized that there’s a trend in comedy these days that is universally appealing and sympathetic: “Oops, sorry, my bad, I mixed up my meds.”

Maybe it’s not a trend though. Maybe it’s just human nature. Or maybe I’m just finally beginning to notice that everybody seems to be on something these days and our entertainment options just reflect this fact more and more. Whether it’s alcohol, Jesus, caffeine, over the counter prescriptions or under the counter prescriptions almost everybody seems able to relate to having a bad day because of cross medicating.

Back when I was growing up, George Carlin and a few other stand-up comedians were about the only people doing observational humor about bad behavior. It wasn’t in the movies and it certainly wasn’t on TV. People only drank in dramas and usually it was only the bad guys. But then “Airplane” came along in 1980 (“Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.”) followed by, among others, “Absolutely Fabulous” and Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) on “Will & Grace” (“Honey, I’m too tired to slap you. Bash your face up against my palm. “) to show us that indulgence could be funny. Now we’ve got shows like “Nurse Jackie” and “Weeds” which appeal to stressed-out audiences, (especially women) trying to find the lighter side of addiction and a string of bad decisions.

In light of this trend, the popularity of “The Hangover” makes perfect sense. There’s more comedic potential in escaping reality than there is in coping with it.

And sometimes, at least for Stu Price, the journey of discovery is even well worth it.

So what’s next on the entertainment horizon? A comedy about serial killers going after AIG execs who keep getting tax payer financed bonuses for jobs poorly done?

I’d pay to see that and I bet a few of you would too!

HOT TIP:

Movie ticket prices at the South Point Casino are pretty good even on week-ends and holidays: $6.50 for the first show, $7.75 for any show before 6pm, and $3 for seniors with a Club Card for any show before 3 pm.

Showtimes for “The Hangover” in Las Vegas this week-end (July 10-12, 2009)

(For the record I got married in Las Vegas but didn’t have my bachelor party here. Now everybody knows why. “A tiger? In the bathroom? Really?” Not words I wanted to hear from any of my bro’s ; -)

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There is a great band playing tomorrow night, July 2 at The Gypsy Den in Las Vegas. They get on stage early as it’s part of the First Friday schedule so make sure to bunny hop on down by 6 pm to have a rocking good time.

I’ve been reading about “Leopold and His Fiction” for awhile and finally got to see them live last night at Beauty Bar. They were great. (and so were the headliners “Dirty Sweet”) The band is from San Francisco and has been playing here in Vegas a good bit the last few months. Their first album “Come Back Now That I’m Here” was released in January 2009. Give it a listen on the My Space page for “Leopold and His Fiction”.

Live they are very Doors-ish grunge, fat bassline, interesting riffs, spooky but not morbid vocals. Seeing them sort of made me feel like I was at The Whiskey on Sunset in the late ’60′s, except not because we were outdoors and it was a balmy 90 degrees at midnight.

For a three piece band they put out a wall of sound that is intriguing, captivating and yet not deafening. The bass player is like Winona Ryder’s little sister and the lead guitarist, singer, Leopold plays a yellow flying-V.  The drummer doubles as Ray Manzarek on keyboards. Modern Doors with a twist. Kind of like Peace Frog.

The Beauty Bar has raised it’s drink prices, $8 for a Ketel Tonic, so it’s best to stick with the $4 Stella’s. The $7 cover seemed pretty steep for a Wednesday but Leopold and Dirty Sweet were worth it. There’s nothing like live, good rock ‘n roll in a great atmosphere.
The Gypsy Den is at 213 East Colorado in downtown Las Vegas (not to be confused with the Gypsy Bar on Paradise). If there’s any cover charge at all tomorrow I’m sure it will be minimal.

It’ll be interesting to see if the City of Las Vegas and other sponsors pony up the reported $13k it costs to support First Friday. Whirlygig, Inc. the organizers of the even had to skip the expenditure last month (June 2009) and I wonder what kind of effect that had on the organization, flow and safety. Without the street barricades, etc. the outdoor fest’s ambiance would certainly be different. Looking forward to checking it out.

BTW, the Las Vegas Downtown Neon Reverb Music Festival is a great way to stay up on upcoming acts at Beauty Bar, the Bunkhouse and other cool, mostly downtown, music venues. You can sign-up via Facebook or My Space to stay in the know.

Rock on.

(If anyone is a club/band photographer or has any pics from the Beauty Bar performance, please let me know.)

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I read an interesting article this week about idioms in the workplace. As a former financial systems guy who has worked on Price Waterhouse, IBM, SAP, Dynamics, MAS90, Retail Pro and several other system conversion teams, I thought I might know most of the twelve terms on this mock test.

It turns out, I did know most of them.

I may have even invented one.

But, the list of funny buzzwords got me thinking. I think Las Vegas can  claim to be the birthplace of a few well-known phrases that have seeped into business jargon and the mainstream vernacular. They are:

“double-down” – a risk/reward buzzword from the game of Blackjack that is used as a verb to describe perceived leverage gained in one phase of development and pressed into service on a subsequent phase. For example, “We’ve already sold 50% of the condos in the first tower, so we’re doubling down and breaking ground on the second tower now.”

“upping the ante” – another risk/reward buzzword, this one has morphed from the game of poker into boardrooms all across the country. Generally I’ve heard it used when a company is thinking about implementing a strategy to weed out smaller competitors in the marketplace. For example, a T-Mobile exec a few years ago may have said something along the lines of, “We’re upping the ante and installing a nationwide 3G network by the end of ’08.”

“hit that” – I’m pretty sure that we can claim this one because it comes from the game of Blackjack. It’s not in corporate boardrooms as far as I know, but on the street and in rap songs “hit that” is generally used to express an inclination to have sex with someone nearby, as in, “I’d hit that.” A little vulgar perhaps, but, hey, Blackjack is sometimes a vulgar game. If you’ve ever had a dealer pull a five card 21 after hitting a 16 and getting a 4 you know what I mean.

There are probably other terms seeping from our little berg here in the desert out into the wide, wacky world of idiomatic speech. We’re definitely the poster child for the term “housing bubble” for instance, but I’m not sure if that term originated here, or originated somewhere else to describe places like Las Vegas.

“Housing bubble” certainly didn’t have any pre-existing meaning that took on a new connotation. Unless it’s a take-off of a Jet Propulsion Lab term used to describe the Hubble Telescope when it had problems because some of it was built to metric specs and some of it was built to U.S. standard measurement specs.

But “housing Hubble” as a root for “housing bubble” is probably a stretch.

The MSN Career article that got me thinking about Las Vegas buzzwords that have seeped into the vernacular is here.

The phrase on that list that I think I may have invented is “talking to the dog.” My feeling is that if you can’t figure out complex problems while talking with your dog then you’re in real trouble. I’ve been dropping it on SAP consultants, IBM sales reps and Price Waterhouse consultants since the end of the last century (sounds like a long time ago, right?). It’s always received much aplomb, laughter and agreement.

But unfortunately no one appears to know where to send the royalty checks. I guess I should have put it in a song and sold it to somebody like Alanis Morissette or Sheryl Crow.

Songwriters are probably the best paid word-smiths of our day.

Anyone want to start a band?

(There’s a lot of great band names to choose from on MSN’s list of workplace phrases.)

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There’s still time to catch the fabulously entertaining “Buddy Holly Story”, the first show of the Spring Mountain 2009 Super Summer Theatre program. The last four performances run from today through Saturday June 20.

At $15/ticket (including fees!) there’s no better entertainment value in Las Vegas.

The concession stand does NOT include wine, so plan ahead.

Spring Mountain Ranch is a 520 acre park and conservation area located about eight miles west of the Red Rocks Visitor Center. It’s a beautiful, intriguing oasis and includes an outdoor stage that can seat about 300 people across it’s wide, grassy lawn. Call some friends, throw some grape leaves, hummus, crackers, sushi or just a couple of PB&J’s into a cooler and have a picnic under the stars. But don’t forget to bring a blanket and a light jacket because even during the notorious Las Vegas summer, the cool breezes of Red Rock Canyon will make you want to snuggle with your neighbor.

Presented by P.S. Productions, “The Buddy Holly Story” tells the inspiring, ultimately tragic tale of the singer’s rise to the top of the music world in the late 1950′s. His hits “Peggy Sue”, “That’ll Be The Day” and several others, along with the Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace” and Richie Valen’s “La Bamba” are capably performed by the cast of actor/musicians. So much so that the audience inevitably starts singing along. Towards the end of the show, as the lights dimmed on Buddy’s last performance, some people, well me and a couple friends, started a chorus of “Take the bus! Don’t get on the plane!”  But,  well, you had to be there.

Although the last four “Buddy Holly” shows are technically sold out, the drive out Charleston Blvd. is worth the trip alone and there’s a good chance you’ll still be able to buy a couple of tickets at the gate. They almost always reserve some if you get there an hour or so before the show.

Future shows at Spring Mountain this summer: “West Side Story” opens on July 9 and runs through July 25.

“Once on this Island” an adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” with a Caribbean twist opens on August 13 and closes August 29.

The last production of the Spring Mountain 2009 Super Summer Theatre program is called “Working” which opens on August 11. “Working” is an original musical presented by Jade Productions based on Studs Terkels best-selling book of interviews with working-class Americans. Waiters and waitresses, school teachers, parking lot attendants and housewives will be the featured characters performing in what promises to be a unique and insightful musical.

Tickets for upcoming performances of the Super Summer Theatre at Spring Mountain Ranch can be purchased at UNLV Tickets or, save $5/ticket and pick them up in person at UNLV Ham Hall.

For better pictures and more information about Spring Mountain Ranch see my 2008 Living-Las-Vegas article “Cool Nights of Summer Theatre”.

See you out there!

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My wife and I have been to one restaurant four times since a couple of visiting ex-Las Veg’ers turned us onto it in late April. The food is so good and so reasonably priced that we’ll be going back many more times before the year is out. (thanks again Greg and Amado!)

A little taste of Spain right off Paradise.

The name of the place is Firefly. It’s located at 3900 Paradise Road just north of Flamingo in a small shopping center called The Park. It features indoor and outdoor seating, an extensive tapas menu that rivals anything I ever had in Spain and from 3pm-6pm Monday through Thursday (3pm-5pm on Friday’s) a fantastic Happy Hour where all drinks are 1/2 price!

Eating tapas is a great way to taste a wide variety of flavors during one meal. Portions are small, easy to share and most are in the $4-$8 range. I specifically recommend the warm spinach salad, the bacon wrapped dates or anything with goat cheese. The veggie empanadas are also particularly delicious.

Aside from an extensive tapas menu, they also have traditional lunch and dinner options. Adjacent tables have heartily recommended the paella, which is one of my all-time favorite world cuisine dishes. However, I’m still working my way through everything that makes my mouth water on the tapas menu so I confess I’ve yet to try the paella. (I figure I have one or two more visits to make before moving onto the dinner menu!)  Everything I’ve tried so far at Firefly has been delicious so I’m setting the bar high on the day I finally try the paella. But based on the intoxicating saffron and seafood aromas I’ve caught steaming off the bountiful bowls moving to surrounding tables, I’m confident my mounting anticipation for the paella at Firefly isn’t likely to turn into disappointment.  In fact, probably just the opposite. Instead of raving about the tapas I’ll be raving about the seafood paella.

The atmosphere at Firefly is jovial and festive. The delicious and potent mojitos, along with the pitchers of perfectly aged sangria make for a fun party atmosphere. I usually recommend the classic or pomegranate mojito to first-timers, but there are other flavors too, along with an extensive beer and wine list. Drinks are reasonably priced during regular hours, but during Happy Hour they’re a real bargain at half price.

Okay, now I'm really hungry.

Firefly is perfect for a wide variety of occasions, whether it’s a casual night out with friends or taking an out-of-town visitor staying on the Strip to somewhere just slightly off the beaten path.

Don’t miss the avant-garde, sexy artwork inside the restaurant, but sitting outside makes this little taste of Spain complete. The heat, mixed with the whoosh of traffic and the whoosh of exotic women coming and going is just like being at a tapas bar in Madrid.

Oh, don’t forget to leave room for dessert! You’ll be glad you did.

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My 2008 Toyota Prius just turned 30. Thirty thousand miles that is. And it just had its first hiccup.

Nancy Botwin would be proud.

Apparently the little hybrid that could needs its regular checkups just like the rest of us.

On Sunday my wife and I were leaving the parking lot of our local Smith’s store and our little blue Prius (I should say her little blue Prius because she gets to drive it most of the time) kept popping out of reverse. A fan in the engine compartment roared in over-drive, trumping the normally whisper quiet ride we were used to. It was hot out and we had jumped in, powered the car on with the air conditioning left set on high and started right off on our merry way as we too often do.

Note: usually I turn the A/C off when I park my other, non-hybrid car because I know the toll it takes on a regular engine-battery configuration to turn the ignition on with anything else (lights, A/C, radio) already on.

Admittedly, I’m too often less diligent with the Prius, but my wife never turns anything off in either car. So, being the de facto automotive expert in our household by virtue of the fact that I can’t give birth, I turned the A/C off, rolled down the windows and tried to put the car in reverse again.

Success! The loud whirl of the fan had disappeared. But again, our previously ever reliable little hybrid popped out of gear about two seconds after I put it in reverse.

“Hmmm,” I thought, resting my foot on the brake to stop our backwards glide down the gentle slope of the Smith’s parking lot.

“Stop putting it in idle,” my wife suggested.

“Hmmm,” I thought some more.

I tried putting the car in drive to get back into our parking space, but we only went forward about two feet before it popped out of gear again.

“Hmmm.” This was a real puzzler. Loud fan noise gone, but car still won’t stay in gear.

I pushed the Park button. The little Martian green light didn’t stay on like it usually did. I took my foot off the brake. Nope, we weren’t in park and we just lost the two feet we had gained back into the safety of the parking space.

But, I still had full control of the steering, so it didn’t seem as though the engine had stalled. A real puzzler indeed.

"What'cha got under the hood there little fella?"

Fortunately the Smith’s wasn’t very crowded and we weren’t attracting any attention yet. The last thing I wanted to see was the ignorant grin of some fat jowl Texas transplant behind the windshield of his or her commuter vehicle (aka giant white pickup truck with tinted windows and no tow package).

“I’m not putting it in idle,” I replied patiently to my lovely wife who obviously knows nothing about cars. “It won’t stay in gear.”

“Then try turning it off and then back on,” she advised.

Now that was a useful suggestion. I had been guilty more than once of trying to make the car go when it wasn’t actually turned on. (I’m telling you it’s normally a very, very quiet ride.)

So I pushed the Power button, waited a couple of seconds with everything off and quiet and then pushed the Power button again. The dash lights and indicators, including the red Maintenance Required icon we had been ignoring for about two months all came on as usual. (In our defense, we had programmed an oil change every 5,000 miles into the on-board computer when we bought the car and knew we had missed the oil change at 25k miles, but you motorheads can still chuckle to yourself if you must

I searched the information rich dashboard for a clue. The little red icon (a car with its hood up) seemed to be enjoying its little I-told-you-so moment in the sun.

“Well, I guess we’ll get to test out the free tow service that’s supposed to come with our State Farm insurance,” I said hopefully.

“Why not just leave it here until tomorrow?” my wife suggested. “You can get it back into a parking place and we can walk home.”

The sun was doing a good job living up to its reputation in June in Vegas, but parking and walking home was another suberb idea from my little Georgia peach. I sure didn’t want to give my Ranger Rover and monster SUV owning neighbor the satisfaction of seeing our sensible, environmentally friendly, though presently wounded little hybrid towed home on a Sunday afternoon.

“I guess,” I sighed.

But then the automotive genius in me struck (for real this time!). I put the car in drive and held the little two inch gear shift in place. It didn’t stall. I drove it around the parking lot to test my quick fix solution explaining my automotive rational to my wife … no stalling … no awful noises. Eureka!

Holding the gearshift in place we got home, unloaded the groceries and then took the other car to go check out The Pond at Green Valley as we’d originally planned. But since we’re no longer in our twenties and not single, we studied it from a nearby balcony and decided to forgo the inevitable $10 drinks and sympathetic glances our presence there would probably generate. Instead we went back home and opened a nice bottle of wine and I watched Orlando win the NBA Eastern Conference championship over Cleveland. (Note: it’s sometimes hard to bet against a team you like, but it makes you feel smart when you’re right.)

The next morning I spoke with a Toyota service rep and decided to drive the Prius the five miles to Findlay Toyota. I had no problem and in fact, it stayed in gear the whole way. All by itself!

Put away your screwdriver.

“Could it be that the Toyota Prius has a on-board fix and repair robot not mentioned in the owner’s manual?” I joked with Art, my randomly appointed service technician.

“Maybe. But we’ll check it out anyway,” he replied blankly. Maybe he’d already heard that kind of wise crack a couple of hundred times and didn’t find it as amusing as I did. Or, maybe it’s true and they just don’t want the competition to know.

Anyway, a couple of $20 parts later, one for the electronics in the gear console and another for a fan that cools a hot water overflow tank in the engine, we had our little hybrid back topped off with a much needed car wash too. All for no cost to us!

So happy anniversary to my hybrid and hats off to the U.S. workers in the six (6) Toyota auto plants in this country!

On this, the second day after the G.M. bankruptcy (and subsequent $50 billion government bailout) that left the entire management team in place that ran the company into the ground (sans the CEO they let go 2 months ago) I hope there is a recognizable message. Build a quality product with state-of-the-art redundant engineering that works, stand behind it and you’ll have a happy, loyal customer base.

Or, keep handing out bonuses for jobs poorly done and you’ll be able to count the number of G.M. anniversaries from June 1, 2009 on one hand.

Word.

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