Archive for September, 2006

Sep 28

krempasky

8 Comments

Working with the other side

You know, it’s remarkable how easy it is to work with someone on the other side of almost any divide. It doesn’t mean you agree, or change your views, or even quell your own passion about a principle.

All you have to do is find a piece of common ground, even if it’s tiny. Put a little energy into exercising some respect, courtesy, and perhaps a bit of professionalism. You can get a lot done with that small start.

Sep 24

krempasky

2 Comments

Disappointment

I spent some time in Texas this week – hectic, hurried, but good time. A good chunk of that time was spent driving a rented Ford Mustang between Austin and Dallas. I can barely describe how disappointed I was with this, the first new Mustang I’d actually driven. Disappointed because I wanted desperately to enjoy it.

I drove a Mustang for a long, long time. At 18, I bought a 1992 Mustang LX 5.0, and immediately became a complete fanatic about the car. More on that in another post, I think.

But this new piece of crap? It’s just that – crap. It’s not that it’s plastic, heck the old one had more than its share of petrochemical polymer interior trim (and cheap stuff, too) – but the plastic doesn’t help. It’s not that it handles like one of those dish-shaped aluminum sleds you had when you were a kid (the old one didn’t exactly carve up the corners) – but that doesn’t help either.

It’s that they made what appeared to be a real effort to call imagery from the past. Styling from the 60’s? Well, you can’t stop finding it in this car. But at almost every turn – it’s done so badly that yes, you’re reminded of that old green fastback from Bullitt – and then you’re reminded that this car ought not be mentioned in the same sentence.

I dub thee, Muskrat.

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