Monthly Archives: July 2010

Recently I was one of a handful of moms and automotive reporters who were invited to visit the Ford Factory in Dearborn, Michigan. The universe cooperated, and I was lucky enough to go on a quick trip and tour the Ford Plant.

The folks at Ford wanted to demonstrate to us Moms (and to the automotive reporters) some safety innovations:

Inflatable Seat Belts

My Key Technology

Cross Traffic Alert

Curve Control

And things that I noticed:

The Rouge

Environmental Awareness

Inflatable Seat Belts:

Wow, just wow. The rear seat belts in the 2011 Explorer will be the first to feature these. The seat belts inflate in an accident. They deploy in a fraction of a second and help prevent head and neck injury. We had a demonstration of these that was incredibly powerful to see in person.

The safety belts left me with more questions than answers, so ultimately I sent off a list of questions to Ford. Rather than diluting their responses I’ll just share them with you here:

What happens when the belt inflates and an infant seat (base only) is installed? We have tested the belts with various child seats and have not found issues. Parents have the option of restraining child seats with LATCH.

What happens when the belt inflates and a toddler safety seat in installed? If there is video of either of these two scenarios I’d love to include it. Same response, there is no video available.

How do the belts work with the obese? As Americans are getting larger, those belts might be inflating onto someone’s lap, not their chest. The belts are designed to enhance protection for all rear-seat occupants who properly buckle up.

How long before they deflate? The belts deflate in about 5-6 seconds after they fully inflate.

How much more space do they occupy? Does the belt pull less tight so that it’s less force toward the seat? They will be packaged in the same area in the new Explorer as models that have traditional seat belts. They operate much like a traditional seat belt in everyday use.

Will the belts expand on impact if not buckled? (replacement cost… not particularly safety oriented) No. They will be very affordable to replace but we don’t have specific pricing because dealers ultimately set repair costs.

Here’s a video, it’s very “Team Ford” but it shows you the seat belts with crash test dummies, which is truly extraordinary to watch in person.

MyKey Technology

: MyKey allows parents (or fleet managers) to have some control over their drivers without actually being in the car. MyKey can limit the speed as low as 80 mph. I see it as a regulator, only it’s not permanent, so you haven’t changed the makeup of the car. MyKey also makes it impossible to turn off the Beltminder or the BLISTM (Blind Spot Information System) and Cross Traffic Alert. MyKey also sets a maximum volume on the radio. As proof that I’m ancient, the kind folks at Ford turned the radio up to full MyKey volume and I still wanted to cry, but they’ve done a lot of research about driver distraction, and apparently that is not always loud enough to keep a young adult happy driving. I find that frightening, both that teens like music quite so loud, and also that I cannot remember that part of being 17.

Cross Traffic Alert:

This is cool, when you’re pulling out of a parking spot (perpendicular to traffic) you are alerted to traffic crossing your path long before you can see it. Those accidents at slow speeds can be expensive, just ask the thief who is currently trying to sue me.

Curve Control:

This is the big one. When folks are getting off the highway, particularly after long trips at high speeds, Ford was seeing a pattern of them going too fast and coming off the roadway on circular exits. With this in mind they created Curve Control. It slows the car for you and it keeps it stable (keeps it from tipping over). We took VERY tight turns in a car that was wrapped in velcro (I imagine it’s a 2011 Explorer?) at 55mph. Although my flight or fight response was clearly activated, the car hugged the road, stayed on course and was incredibly stable. I’m looking forward to seeing Curve Control on the entire Ford Fleet. It’s an amazing safety innovation.

The Rouge:

If you are in or around the Dearborn area take a half a day and tour The Rouge. It was the first assembly line style plant in the west, and a cornerstone of American Industrialist History. I loved the tour and I noticed that the kids who were there loved it too. It’s the perfect activity for a family especially if you have diverse tastes.

Environmental Awareness:

Let’s be frank, the automobile is (and has been) a huge source of pollution here in America. We like them big, we like them fast, and we like new cars. Everything about our automotive preferences is an assault on mother earth. The sections of the plant that I toured had some thoughtful innovations. The F-150 assembly building has a living roof, and they use skylights instead of fluorescent lighting (weather permitting). The asphalt in the parking lots is porous, and there are gardens in empty spaces. Ford isn’t what I’d call a “green corporation” but I do see them as being aware and building sustainable practices into their production, and I think that’s worth mentioning.

I really do want to know what YOUR secret is, because I don’t have one. I’m very guilty of over eating, ever exercising, and missing meals. I find that the crazier my days get, the more important it is for me to sit down and eat a meal. As I’m more exhausted, I need to be sure and schedule time to exercise.

Water, I drink tons and tons of water. Also I drink a glass of water BEFORE every meal.

Do my days get hectic? Absolutely, but I try VERY hard to make exercise a priority, and I feel healthier because of it.

As an FYI I was on the phone with my father earlier today and I mentioned Momversation to him. “What’s that?” he asked.

Well Dad, here’s an episode about exercise, which for me is a big part of staying healthy. Remember the marathon we ran limped through walked?

I found today to be extraordinarily exhausting. This morning was Dr. Rosenbaum’s memorial service, and though it was incredibly uplifting I found myself tired. Exhausted even.

I spent too much of the afternoon trying to understand just why I was so tired, and I realized it was fear. I’m not a fearful woman, and I spent the day afraid.

I was afraid of feeling so very sad.

I was afraid that my son would need another surgery, and that I wouldn’t find a doctor to do it.

I was afraid of my children feeling sad, but even more afraid of them being nonplussed.

I was afraid of walking into the service alone, and even more afraid that I wanted to be alone.

At the service I ran into Mary. More than eight years ago when I was afraid of Alexander’s pending surgery Mary grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “I needed this when I was a baby, I didn’t have it and I spent my childhood with no one looking me in the eye.” She went on to tell me about how difficult that was for her, and how her social development was hindered.

Mary gave me very straight talk about how to be a good mother all those years ago. The words she gave me were an incredible gift. Seeing Mary was like being wrapped in a cozy blanket, you know it isn’t a coat of armor, but certainly it feels like one.

Dr. Rosenbaum’s family was exactly as I’d expected they’d be. Kind, generous, gracious and giving. I stood and hiccuped and wept as they thanked me for kind words. There is something about the Midwestern grace and manner that I will always love and work toward. When I find the words for it, surely I will write them.

More than a few people close to me have been touched by cancer. Drew Olanoff has us following his battles with cancer, and he takes the fear away by beating it again, but memorial services put the fear right back in me. Every time someone says cancer I silently pray that it’s not someone I love, and then I feel horrible because every cancer patient is loved by someone.

At the end of the day I’m a one trick pony. I like a lot of time alone, I love time with friends and family, and I like a lot of exercise. I enjoy numbers and puzzles, I like order and rules, I do not like chaos, large emotional gatherings or the feeling of being alone (which is profoundly different than time alone). Days like today are out of my comfort zone by a wide margin.

Because of his amblyopia and strabismus Alexander is supposed to wear a patch three hours each day. A typical week gets him in the patch 5 days, and a crummy week will have us fighting with him to wear it, and (of course) it has to be changed if he cries, which he does. Typically I remind Alexander to put his patch on, and about half the time I help him with the process. Today Alexander put his own patch without either of us asking him to or reminding him. It was a first, and it should have been a reason to celebrate, but we didn’t. I think we all felt confused and conflicted. I think my whole house felt grateful and nervous. We just felt off. All of us.

I spent the day wishing I could go running, but there simply wasn’t time. My running is more than metaphorical, I run away from feelings that are distasteful to me, and there’s not a very good chance of that changing any time soon.

I’m tired because I spent the day simmering with fear, and, quite simply, it takes more energy than I have to expend.

Walked into a party, seen a bunch of people you know and enjoy, and immediately felt like running away?

Have you actually left?

I’m getting progressively weirder, and every day I care a little less about that weirdness.

Yesterday was a three restaurant day. I started my morning having Pho with Lolita, and then had a quick trip to Whole Foods. I paid for my groceries, and needed a pen to write a check (I know I’m a dinosaur) so I asked the checker for a pen, and he whipped one out from behind his ear. I held my hands up in the air like a burglary suspect who is finally being arrested. “I have issues,” I declared, “Can I use one of those pens?” And I sort of waved at the pile of pens next to the register. You know the ones, they don’t have hair and ear goo stuck to them.

I had some jeans to pick up in Beverly Hills, and my friend Jay was having The Sweets Truck come to his workplace, so I thought I’d swing by there, pick up some yummy desserts, and have a visit with Jay. I’m so pleased that I did. We met the nicest group of eight people who came from Mission Viejo in a giant limousine, they were celebrating a man named Lyn’s 50th birthday. I won’t tell you everything, but I did take video and as soon as I can get it uploaded I’ll share it in the sidebar.

Next was Alexander’s performance. The last two weeks he’s been at Day Jams, it’s a camp where the kids form a band, create their own song, their own posters, back stage passes, CD covers, and shirts. It’s a week long, and on the Friday they put on a concert. It is adorable times eighty bazillion.

After the concert Alexander had requested dinner at The Counter. We obliged and had hamburgers and wine, he had a hamburger with a strawberry milkshake.

While driving home I got a text from Kim Prince telling me that she was walking distance from my house with Jennifer and Lisa. I had Mr. G. drop me off for a drink with my friends, and we proceeded to get the worst service any restaurant could offer. Our server was VERY nice, she was apologetic about forgetting my wine, charged us for fewer drinks than we’d actually had, but she was busy sitting at the table next to us with three men. Yes. Really.

Somewhere after my ninety seventh glass of water (it’s been well over 100 degrees for the past three days) I noticed one of the other servers was wearing extremely low slung shorts. And by extremely low slung, I mean you can see ass crack when she’s NOT bending over. I’m pretty sure she felt sexy, but in a food setting I never want to see ass, that’s just me. I pointed it out to Lisa, who was like, “they’re not THAT low.” Because Lisa is a nicer person than I am. I promise you, there were absolutely no underwear involved.

About ten minutes later I was grabbing Lisa’s arm stage whispering, “fecal matter and food”, because the ass crack waitress had jammed her ticket book down the back of her pants right over her ass crack. At that point even Lisa agreed, “there is so much wrong with that I don’t know where to begin.” And yes, those food tickets that were smeared all over her butt, were torn off and handed to the cooks. Because what good is food without a little ass juice?

There isn’t a chance in hell that I’ll go back there. You know, apparently I have issues.

Yesterday I wrote a post that was directed at CMO types, and social media managers, but a lot of bloggers added a lot to the discussion in the comments. In my post I tried to explain why no one should want to use a Brand Ambassador that is willing to work for free. I assert that they have slightly less value than an intern, and are capable of doing an awful lot of harm.

In the comments a lot of bloggers (almost all of whom I know and enjoy) talked about how offensive it is to be asked to work for free.

Yes.

Just Yes.

I had a delightful morning. Since Jane is away at camp for the week, and Alexander is at a specialty camp that lasts from nine to five, I found myself with more free time than I’ve had in a dozen years. Siezing the moment I dropped Alexander off at camp, and went for a 45 minute hike. I gulped down some water and went to a spectacular Yoga Class. I wasn’t done pampering myself until noon. Amazing, right? At noon I headed off to the grocery store, and began my day.

After filling up my cart, I wound my way to the deli counter for some turkey, I grabbed a number. It was 55. After waiting for a clerk to help me I saw a very nicely turned out woman grab a number and wave down a clerk to get a deli tray that she had pre-ordered.

“Excuse me,” I interrupted their conversation, “I’ve been waiting a while, and I’m pretty sure I’m next.”

“Yes, well, I’m just picking up a pre-order it will only take a moment.” She smiled at me authoritatively.

“Yes, well, I’m just picking up some things, and I need to get on with MY day. I’m actually very busy too.” And I pointed to the place on my wrist where one might wear a watch.

The clerk asked each of us which number we were holding, took my order and apologized profusely.

The lady turned the other way, and absolutely refused to so much as glance my direction. She was embarrassed, as well she ought to have been. Her behavior was embarrassing.