Russell's Raspberries

Russell has figured out the most ergonomic way to consume raspberries, provided you have small finger tips.

Cobra Kai in the Tabata Dojo

Russell started the day trying to sweeten up Mommy.



and it worked.



Later on, we invited Kai over for Burgers and some play time.

Russell's Car Review

Russell loves cars. Infact, his teachers at daycare commented on how excited he gets with all forms of transporation... cars, trucks, buses, trains and airplanes. Infact he can say Airplane in Japanese... "Hikooki" When he was upset with daddy leaving him at daycare, they would give him a matchbox or hotwheels car and he would be very happy.

Since Russell was so happy with them at school, naturally, daddy had to select a few cars that Russell could play with (with daddy) at home.

The first two in the collection were the 1964 Alfa Romeo GTA, and the 2008 Tesla Roadster. Daddy had to get at least two cars, because what would daddy play with while Russell was playing with the other one.



Start with a classic. The Alfa Romeo GTA has always been one of daddy's favourites. We found that the Matchbox version has a higher center of gravity and is prone to oversteer. This is great for making skidding motions across the floor, but is prone to flipping over.



The other car was the Tesla Roadster. This pick was really more of a statement to the world in which Russell is entering. The Tesla is the first modern all electric sports car and is historically sigificant. As you can see, it is ultra low to the ground with just over 1mm of clearance. Handling is much different from the Alfa with more weight up front it is much more stable. However, more stability does relate in a little less fun in the driving experience.

Russell's Garage

Russell is already practicing parking in confined spaces.

Julia's 5th Birthday

We were all very excited when we were invited to Julia's 5th Birthday Party. It was going to be a long day, starting around noon at the indoor playground, and well through dinner at Mike & Sheryl's. Russell napped in the morning before we left but after 2 hours of running and eating he still needed a 30 minute power nap in the car.

He had a great time with all the kids.




Russell hamming it up at dessert... (hijacked from Julia's blog site.)

Busy weekend

Friday was Russell's last day at Graydon Hall Daycare. I think Mommy and Daddy are going to miss the staff and all the attention Russell got there. He was a real celebrity around there with even most of the parents there knowing him by name. I think Russell is going to miss the blonde haired, blue eyed girls. Not too many of those at Ikebata.



Saturday we drove to KW to visit Quentin and Kim & Grantley. Quentin was very excited to meet Russell and gave him a detailed update as to what he's been upto. Unfortunatly, the rest of us just heard babbling.



Sunday we took a long overdue walk thanks to the nice weather. Later, Russell settled down for a bit to watch some football. (unfortunatly, Daddy didn't)



Monday Russell started his new daycare. Ikebata is a Japanese/English bilingual daycare. He was pretty unsure this morning about starting something new. I hope he's okay. We'll find out when Mommy brings him home later.

Russell on Ice

Grandma's company had a family skating day at the Ricoh Center so what better place for Russell to display is athletic potential to new Leafs GM Brian Burke? So with new skates and the helmet from last summer, he took to the ice for his try out.



Ice is a lot trickier on skates than carpet is.

In the penalty box...(i guess he didn't like the call)



Russell still doesn't care for Santa too much.

Russell Rocks

Saturday, Julianne is thinking how cute Russell was singing along with Rockband, holding the mic. I explain to her that our old copy of Rockband won't play on the new playstation, but I would gladly go pick up a copy of Rockband2 for PS3 while Russell napped.

.... the rest is Rockband history.

Halloween

I know i have lots of stuff to catch up on, like Russell Takes to the Seas, Russell goes to the zoo, Russell Picks a Pumpkin, and Russell goes to the ACC. Oh, and most importantly, Ron Rents a Mazda 5.

But to respect the season, here are Russell's Halloween photos.

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Ron's rapid rental recap

Okay, so for the 3 people who are interested in the rental review over the Russell updates, here goes a catch up post.

Hyundai Accent - so they didnt have any midsize cars so they offered me this. I figured the Sonata was really good so i'll give it a shot.

It's really peppy and nimble. would be a ton of fun on an autocross track or any track for that matter. Interior finish is pretty good for a cheap car, on par with the Mustang for comparison sake. My rental had one big problem. The front door contacted the front fender when opened. I guess this could be adjusted but felt like a sizable defect.

Nissan Murano - really looks nice, but was pretty average in all. Felt a lot like the Equinox, with and nicer exterior and interior.

Mustang - again... honestly, not quite as bad at the first one. Visibility is still an issue, but this was a little quieter, stereo was a little cleaner, drove a little better. But in general still crap. Need to try a new Dogde Challenger and Chevy Camaro to have a valid comparison.

Chevy Trailblazer - interior is straight from the 80's. black leather top to bottom, just missed the eau du Polo. Interior was more fit for an IROC from the 80's than a modern suv. Car itself wasn't too bad, solid, handled okay, and rode fine.

Hyundai Tucson - I'm continued to be impressed by Hyundai. Interior is not as nice as the Sonata, probably on par with the lower, Elantra. However, car drove fine, good interior space for a small suv, and everything worked well.

Hyundai Sonata - had another one and it was as excellent as the first time.

Dodge Caravan - This weeks car... first true minivan and there's tons of space. However, tonight, the cruisecontrol lever flatly fell out of the steering wheel and is flopping around getting caught on the wiper level. First it could get stuck on the wiper lever and prevent me from steering and cause an accident. Now I have it taped to the back of the steering wheel to keep it out of the way.

Bringing da Thunder

So 2008 is the biggest movie blockbuster summer to date. Hollywood is expecting a record 4 billion dollars in ticket sales. This pumped up from comic book sequels The Dark Knight & Hell Boy, and double dips to old franchises like Indiana Jones.

I've seen an unexpected number of movies this year. There is a theatre in the same complex as my hotel so it's pretty easy to catch a late show while i'm on the road. This summer held a lot of high expectations. Ironman really held up to its promise. One of my favourite comic book heroes as a kid, delivered a great summer movie. The retooled Incredible Hulk was incredibly not terrible either. Marvel is sewing the seeds to the biggest hero movie of all time by developing individual storylines that will eventually come together in the Avengers movie featuring Ironman, the Hulk, Thor and Captain America. The Avengers franchise ties together most of the Marvel Universe including Wolverine (new movie coming) and Spiderman. Maybe it is a move to counter the inevitable Justice League movie that can never seem to get off the ground.

Most other highly anticipated films could not say the same. Indiana was too far fetched and fell into the Lucas trap of blue screen effects over a solid cliffhanger story. Pixar is a guaranteed ticket but the eco-preaching Wall-e overshadowed a promising story and dazzling animation. The Dark Knight, I feared that the Ledger's demise would overshadow the performance, but in fact, the Joker's portrayal was so captivating, it blew away the rest of the storyline and as a whole, the movie was empty and aimless. Hellboy, while a surprisingly good first movie, was flat and boring in sequel form. Wanted was a cheesy film so get adolescent boys to buy tickets to see Angelina Jolie's naked ass. (it really was the best part of the entire 2 hour film) But the unsuspecting guy becoming secret agent story is already done and done much better in the TV series Chuck.

Many other efforts didnt even get my six bucks. (yes, Tuesdays in Rhode Island are cheap) Get Smart, The Mummy 3, Love Guru, Zohan, Speed Racer... (maybe Pineapple Express.. might see that next week) will all be lucky to get a few hrs of my time via the PVR when they're broadcast on TMN.

So tonight.... I think I saw the most wicked awesome film of the summer. Tropic Thunder has to be seen in the theatre with the commercials and previews and everything. Completely original, satires the Chuck Norris Delta Force movies with Hearts of Darkness, Making of Apocalypse. The concept is great and the cast has you jumping between "that's the guy from..." and "I can't believe he's in this too". This movie is a cool as Ironman, but funnier than anything i've seen this year.

3rd Anniversary

So Julianne and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary with a phone call. In lieu of being together for the actual day, we planned to have Friday as our 'date' day.

We dropped Russell off at daycare after breakfast and we headed up to Wonderland. It was a weekday, and the Ex was on so it shouldn't be too busy right??? Wrong.... we spent some quality time in line for the 3 rides we managed to get in before we left to pick up Russell.

Now aside from that, i did manage to catch Russell on video a fair bit so everyone can see what he's up to. Of course that's what anyone is interested in anyways.

Russell's Vocabulary




Russell's Exercise routine




Russell's new shoe

Snip Snip Russell

This is one of the hardest decisions the parents of any boy has to make. You know that he'll never be the same after the first cut, but as parents, you have to make a decision that is in you son's best interest, and frankly, Julianne and I think it just looks better.


.... so i caught the whole procedure on video....

Ron's Rental Review - more hawt pony action

So a week ago the hertz lady offered me either a Mustang or a Sonata... in that brief moment that followed, I could imagine my review of the Sonata: "The car was white....that's about it" I cannot imagine a more bland, uninspirational car in production today. At the Autoshow, I can't imagine coming within 100 yards of one of these buckets. At least the Mustang is an icon, so I took it.

This week, after feeling soiled by the 'stang, I had no problem taking the Hyundai keys she offered me.

From the outside, the Hyundai Sonata is indeed one of the most boring cars i've ever seen. It basically looks like a dated Honda Accord. They exterior styling just doesn't look quite current.




So i opened the trunk to stow my bags and things got slightly more promising. Two oval tail pipes and a V6 badge gave me a little more hope for the week. Opening the door and stepping into the Sonata was the big surprise. The fit and finish here is excellent. I would say that the dash and dials look better than my BMW (mind you my car is over 4 years old) The interior is the complete opposite from the Mustang. The quality and feel of the dash and all of the surfaces feel far beyond my expectations, and that of anything I've rented so far. Even the shift path has a fine subtle chrome pinstripe.






So lots of photos but how does it feel? Again, completely different from the Mustang. The engine is virtually silent. Even when you stomp on the accelerator, the engine is still hardly noticeable, you just feel a solid whoosh of power as you're surged down the freeway. Handling is surefooted, not exactly 'sporty', but confident and comfortable.

Honestly, this is the perfect car for someone who really doesn't care about cars. What I mean is I really can't find any 'quirks' that only a true enthusiast would embrace like the tone of the exhaust. This car really gets you from point A to B smoothly, comfortably, reasonably quickly, without any complaints or issues. And it does all this with the best fuel economy next to the Prius that i've encountered so far. Over 26 mpg.

Basically I can see the Ford & Hyundai engineers each given the task of building a $25,000 car. The Ford guys spend $20k on the body, (it is a cool looking car) and the remaining 5k to get the rest of the car done. The Hyundai guys took $24k to engineer the interior, engine, suspension and chassis, then make a quick sheet metal mould around the outside to design the body. Decide for yourself which is more important to you.

Oh, and by the way, it's white, with a metallic pearl hue. Very nice.

Ron's Rental Review 4 - The Pony Express

So i'm at the counter to pick up the car this week, and the lady says she has a Mustang for me. Almost like a gag reflex, I ask if she had anything imported that she can offer me instead. She says they have a Sonata, but in that time, i think of the blog, and the fact that the Mustang is a classic, the Sonata is pretty boring and good or bad, I should have something to write about. So I say I'll stick with the 'stang, take the keys and plod off to space #31 and the red 2008 Ford Mustang.

I drop my bags in the trunk and slide into the car and am immediately awash in a sea of beige plastic and polyester. Plastic here was far worse than any of the GM cars I had rented. Clearly the materials were supplied by either Hasboro or Mattel. Infact, i'm sure the dash in the Barbi version is exactly the same, only pink.

What was even worse than the dash was the ridiculous shift knob / lever thingy. The stupid design aside, the plastic used here felt like the handle of my super soaker. As a driver, there are really only three parts of the car you touch with your bare skin: the radio, the steering wheel, and the gear shift. If you have to use cheap materials, don't scrimp on those three items.



So a few minutes later I'm rolling down the interstate and I can feel the impressions of the Mustang flowing out like diarrhea. All the dials and vents have about an inch of chrome trim around them. The only good thing about that is that all that chrome reflects the sun into your eyes so you can't focus on how bad the rest of the interior looks. The view, the seats, the sound, the radio, the dash..... all so exceptionally bad they are truly exceptional.

The windshield is short and the hood line is very high which is cool in a chopped hotrod but for a practical car, makes you feel like you're steering a tank, looking out one of those little slits.

The Mustang has bucket seats, but they have absolutely no lateral support. It really just feels like a shorter version of the bench seat in my dad's 78 Impala. However, this is probably a good think because it discourages you from attempting any real cornering. You can feel the rear axle hopping over small highway bumps and you can easily imagine yourself facing the wrong way if you pushed the car in any way.

Of course, Ford has conveniently fitted the Mustang with a permanent traction control system. They've done so by giving the V6 absolutely no horsepower whatsoever. With your foot on the floor, you still can't squeek the tires.

The fact that you can't squak the tires is ironic because those very tires rolling down the freeway at 50mph are so loud, it sounds like you're in the bathroom filling up the tub. So with the roar of the tires, i turn up the Sirrus satellite radio to alleviate the noise. The radio, sounds awful. It has tons of treble and the plastic door panels rattle to the beat.

This car is so incredibly bad, it stands out among all others. In 2005 it was awarded Canadian Car of the year by some inebriated snowmobile drivers. How this is possible is beyond me. I guess the only question is how the copycat retro cars from Dogde (Challenger) and Chevy (Camaro) will fair.

Ron's Rental Review take three

Now we're truckin'! I was ready to whine about the Equinox. But in all honesty, aside from the expected shortcomings of pretty much all GM cars, its not that bad. This opinion could be tainted by the car i'm driving this week which is a true automotive abomination, and is completely rant worthy.

So the Equinox. Yes the dash makes no attempt of being anything other than a large sheet of pressed plastic.



Basically the look and feel of everything could be best described as Flea Market Chic. The Artsy square fabric with the big plastic handle from what felt like recycled Coleman coolers.



Mechanically speaking, there really wasn't much to complain about. Ride was comfortable, very much like the Outback from the previous week. The engine was no less powerful than the Subaru. The overall feel of the car was solid. Of course this is a new car. A few short years would see all those hard plastic bits on the interior squeaking against one another, but for now it was quite comfortable. I averaged about 25 mpg which was also on par with the Subaru.

In conclusion, the Equinox was only memorable because it wasn't as awful as it could have been. Not really rant worthy or rave worthy.

LMBR Cup Training

With two Kozai's in this years Lumber Cup Championship... the Tabata's have taken steps to reclaim the cup. Russell has commenced training with his eyes on the prize for 2020!!!

Ron's Rental Review part deux

okay, so what the heck is PZEV??? Google says its Partially Zero Emission vehicle. So 'partially' must me sometimes its zero emission right? So is it a hybrid? There's a green leaf on the logo so it must be right?

Well, all i can figure is that its a very low emission vehicle. So really the only time it is "zero emission" is when its turned off.... pretty much the same thing as a Hummer or a Lamborghini.

Okay, aside from the PZEV, the Outback is really a very nice car. It's jacked up higher than a regular car so the view is pretty good but its definitely a car, not an suv. The ride is very comfortable, the tires and suspension suck up the bumps and the car feels very solid and planted at all times.



The interior is nice. I'm driving the base model i guess with cloth seats but its tasteful and most of the materials seem to feel like a good quality.

Okay back to the PZEV... I think it stands for Practically Zero Energy Vehicle. This wagon with 4wheel drive is heavy, and the 170hp four banger just isn't enough to get this family wagon up to highway speed at under a glacial pace. Also the weather here has been really nice, so morning drives to the office, i've had the windows down. On starting the car, the PZEV idles really rough, and is sounds like a wheezing putt putt engine.

Really the only downside of the Legacy Outback wagon is the engine. I've gotten about 25mpg driving it for about 2 weeks. (Hertz has given me the same car two weeks in a row) Half the roads around here have a 25mph speed limit so the weak engine is bearable. However,if there were an STI version of the outback, I think it would be a great car and something I'd consider after the M3 if the price were right.

Burgertime

So Russell's diet is almost exclusively composed of organic or naturally raised foods. Mom & Dad don't usually eat as well so we've fallen into a routine of cooking separate food for Russell and us.

Well, we're now trying to eat the same things as Russell because cooking twice for dinner has us going to bed later and later.

We had homemade burgers and this time, and had some for Russell too.

Ron's Rental Review

Okay, sorry, I have lots of photos of Russell but they're all on my cameras at home. The only pictures i can access are on my phone so these 'on the road' updates will have some other themes... And i guess I'll try to take more Russell pics with my phone on the weekend.

.....So its my 3rd week in Rhode Island and I'm in the line at Hertz to get my car. There's some semi distinguished looking guy at the front of the line and he's talking with the Hertz guy. It sounds like he's not too keen on the car he's getting and I think I over hear the Hertz guy say "PT Cruiser". The semi distinguished guy makes some gesture, lifting his hands, palms up, in an upward motion... sort of like asking for something a little more 'distinguished' you might say. So the Hertz guy puts the keys back and I think he mumbles "Outback" to the guy. The semi distinguished guy looks much happier and takes the keys and I get one step closer to the front of the line.

I now see how the game is played, and I'm ready for an upgrade. For the last two weeks I got a Pontiac G6. The G6 is an pitiful effort at designing a car. It's really not worth the effort of describing how awful it is. Honestly, if Oprah Winfrey game me one of them, it would be on craigslist before you could spell TTC.

So I get to the counter and there's no way i'm taking a G6 this time, however when the Hertz guy brings the keys over, it's only a small block, with no cut metal part sticking out. I first thought it might be a Volkswagon, with the switchblade key but it was black plastic on all four sides. No brand logos, only 3 buttons, lock, unlock and red one I assume is panic. The Hertz guy tells me the space number the car is located at but doesn't mention the type of car. Well, i know this is no G6 with this key so I take it and haul my stuff to the spot.

I get to the spot and the first thing i think is "cool, they rented me a golf cart" because before me is a white Toyota Prius.


I unlock it, place my bag in the back, and get into the driver's seat. I plug the key block into a slot in the dash, then start looking around to figure out what to do next. There's a button on the dash labeled "Power", I press it and the dash lights up, but nothing else really happens. I can't get the car in drive and can't get the AC going because it's hot. I push the power button again, now the little light behind it goes from orange to green... still can't get the car in gear. So i push the button again and everything is off again. Finally I push the button a 4th time and its back on and green. Foot on the brake, and I get the car in drive. I can finally adjust the mirrors, set the A/C and figure out how to get radio going. It now feels like it's been 10 minutes since I got into the car.



So I'm now off for the 20 minute drive from the airport to the office. First thing i notice is the brakes are really 'grabby', which I like. Sort of reminds me of when I had the track pads on the S2000. It might be uncomfortable if your driver is a little hard on the brake but it suited me fine. Accelerating is pretty much what I expected... on par with the G6, sort of like doing the 1/4 in a cruise ship. Aside from that, the interior is spartan but nice. The dash and doors look some kind of recycled rubber/plastic product textured to look like a tatami mat. Looks and feels 100 times better than the G6.

So after a day off work, I get back into the Prius to get to the hotel. I back up and all i hear is "beep..... beep......beep.....beep...." OMG!!! I am driving a Golf Cart!!! It was good for a laugh.

So what about the gas mileage? There's a big screen in the middle of the dash that shows the current mileage, and where the power is going between the engine, the motor, and the battery. It's really distracting and all I can say is that sometime the mileage is good and sometimes its not.




In fact, my very favorite show on the planet had a segment last week comparing the fuel consumption of the Prius against of all things.... a BMW M3. What a coincidence!!



So as the days progressed, I noticed that the fuel gauge was still on full. I started to flirt with the idea that i might get to drive and not have to refill the tank before i returned the car. (you're supposed to return the car with a full tank of gas) It's Thursday and I'm heading back to the Airport to return the car and the tank is still 8/8 bars full. I get off the highway and just before I turn into the airport, bang.. one light goes out, 7/8. Bugger.... now i detour to the gas station, with the intention of putting in just enough gas to get that last light back on. I start filling, I get just past a gallon and i'm ready to let up and pump clicks closed. Must be totally full. I'm just put in slightly over $5. I get back in the car, start it up to head back to the airport, pull away and notice that it's still at 7/8ths. Now I'm second guessing myself, did the pump stop or did I stop early? I pull around to another pump just to make sure. I reinsert my credit card and start filling again. This time..... 52 cents of gas before the pump stops again. It's definitely full. It's full but the gauge is still showing 7/8ths... which is just another quirk because the car still had trouble starting where I have to 'reboot' it get it in gear every so often when starting it up. I have my 52 cent receipt ready for the Hertz guy if he says anything about the tank not being full, but just as I pull into the Hertz lot, the final 8/8ths bar re-lights and is showing a full tank.

I drop off the car and I ask the guy, how far I went. He says 120 miles. Pretty good, 120 miles on less than 1.5 gallons of gas! Maybe they are on to something here!