Monthly Archives: July 2010

I’ve been playing around with video a bit, and yesterday had a long series of small insults. Here are two (super short) videos in lieu of a post.

And also this

Folks, we’ve had a small victory. Small. You may or may not be aware that Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was to be stoned to death in Iran, because she had been convicted of adultery. Groups all over the world have put pressure on Iran to end the barbaric (and often misogynistic) practice of stoning.

According to the Guardian:

A 43-year-old Iranian woman will not be stoned to death after an international campaign launched by her children.

It is unclear whether the authorities have lifted the death sentence for alleged adultery against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani or if she faces execution by another means.

I see this as a good start, but only a start. With added pressure we just might be able to save a life. I won’t let myself believe that a less excruciating death is somehow a victory.

I do not believe that any religion would condemn a woman to death for sexual activity. I don’t care if she had a gang bang with a football team in front of a mosque.

Please continue contacting your elected officials, and The United Nations. Our message should change just slightly.You can copy and paste these into a twitter message:

@UN Please require that member nations not execute adulterers#Ashtiani http://bit.ly/Ashtiani

@UN_womenwatch Please require that member nations not execute adulterers #Ashtiani http://bit.ly/Ashtiani

I understand that these may seem basic, if you’re in a non-Muslim country it’s inconceivable to us that anyone would be put to death for sexual activity. The harsh reality is that women are abused and murdered regularly, and religion is used as an excuse.

I absolutely will not condemn Muslims here, I know wonderful Muslims and privately they condemn these murders as do I.

Please use the same messages as we did on my prior post, and rather than asking your public officials to save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani from Stoning, please ask them to save her from death.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is not the only woman sentenced to die for touching a man, she’s simply in the news this week.

This is also interesting timing as the United Nations is hosting an Online Discussion now through July 20th on the linkages between women’s and girls’ access to and participation in formal and non-formal education and training, and their equal access to full employment and decent work. This discussion is in preparation for the fifty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Join them.

A while back I deleted about 3,000 facebook friends. As Jane is embarking on her tweenage-hood and exploring social networks, I decided to close mine down.

In fact, I’d asked my husband to use Facebook differently, because I worried about our privacy, and he said to me, “No, you use it differently.”

And he was right.

I’ve stripped Facebook of anything too intimate, I’m not a fan of my children’s schools, or sports and I certainly am not friends with their teachers.

I’ve made Facebook a lot like twitter. Close but not intimate. Sassy, but not revealing.

I’m ready to accept friends and friends of friends again, and I’ll just be using it differently.

The 2010 Lexus LX is an SUV unlike any vehicle I’ve ever driven. I was weaned on a steady diet of SUVs, starting with the Bronco 2 (1986) and winding up with a Tahoe a dozen years later.

Since I’ve owned three SUVs in my adult life I was not at all excited to drive one when I attended Camp Lexus. I basically headed for the sedans and left the SUVs  for later.

Something unexpected happened. I drove the LX (while at Camp Lexus) on a slick track (water on tarp pictured below) and while turning a corner attempted to brake. The LX didn’t tip. I know some of you are like, “Uh, duh, it’s a luxury SUV of course it didn’t tip.” But the reality is that we drove those cars faster than one safely should, and then attempted foolish maneuvers in crummy conditions. I expected the car to at least lean to one side. It was very stable. Also, with some of the safe driving tips, I found that big cars actually have fewer blind spots than we’d imagined. Most of us simply have our mirrors adjusted incorrectly.

I was so impressed by the LX’s stability that I asked if there were test drives available, and that’s how we got to today.

After a week of driving the Lexus LX I would recommend this car for any SUV lover. After just a week I didn’t have time to try out the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, but I can tell you this, it is a fast moving, beautifully accelerating, fun to handle, truck.

Yes, I said truck. When push comes to shove what you are driving is a glorious premium luxury utility vehicle that seats seven comfortably. When I say “comfortably” I really mean, “My cousin is taking a road trip in his Bentley, and tried to swap cars with me.” Not. Kidding.

The LX is all about comfort. The wood steering wheel reminds you that you are rich, the premium leather cradles you, and naturally the front seats are both air conditioned and heated. The middle row of power seats is also heated. Even though it’s the middle of July my kids had to try this out.

This sucker is fast. It’s fast off the line and it’s got great pickup when you’re already in motion. The engine isn’t huge, it’s a 5.7 liter V8 that gives you 383 horsepower. That seems like a lot, but the curb weight is 5995 (three tons), and sedans like our Jaguar have 380 hp and weigh just 4000 pounds, a third less. The incredible torque is what makes the LX fun to drive. If you’re zipping along the freeway at 65 mph, and find that you want to make a quick lane change the LX is an absolute delight. It’s quick and responsive, a tap on the gas and you’re passing them at 80 in no time. My assumption is that the 403 lb -ft of torque is what gets it there.  There is no lag, and frankly this is a lot of power. If you have any thoughts about buying this car and letting your teen drive it, I’d think again. This car has tremendous pickup.

I’m going to make another assumption here, and say that the LX570 is meant to compete with the Range Rover Sport. Well, they both have refrigerators (no I’m NOT kidding), they are both built for rugged off road conditions and they both get you center stage parking with any valet.

The LX is understated though. Even at $83,000 I didn’t feel heads turning. Don’t get me wrong, I love a flashy car, but for some reason this isn’t the kind of automobile that gets a lot of gawking.

When I had two kids in car seats and a ninety year old Grandmother to tote around town, I loved my Chevy Tahoe. I could fit a double stoller in the back, along with a walker, and I loved that the passenger seat went up and down so that my Grandmother could get in and out safely easily. Well the LX has this nifty little button where the whole car goes up and down. I’m not sure what it’s for, but I can tell you that I found it wildly entertaining.

Oh wait, the up and down thing? Maybe it’s for off road driving? I mean the LX is a four wheel drive, in fact Joe Bacal is racing his LX 570 off road with great success. (Yes, I realize I could research the up and down thing for you, but what fun would that be?)

Parking the LX is not fun. Like the RX 350 I reviewed in 2009, it has wonderful Park Assist feature that makes parallel parking (and lot parking) a breeze. It’s just that in crowded Los Angeles there are more compact than full sized spots, and when you do find a full sized parking spot all too often someone very important has encroached on a second spot. But again, you do get mad respect from Valets… so I guess you have to give a little to get a little.

This is an amazing vehicle, but not for me. I have two kids, I don’t tow anything, and the worst weather I deal with is moderate sprinkles in January. I would recommend this vehicle for a large family (it’s no secret, I hate the minivan), someone who lives anywhere but Los Angeles (and has actual seasons or unpaved roads), folks who tow boats, horses or cars, or anyone who enjoys a road trip. I averaged 14 mpg, and when I’m driving these cars I am unkind. After five days I filled up the tank, 19.5 gallons ran me $68.00, but if you’re driving an $80,000 SUV that might not feel like a big expense.

Because my lifestyle does not require a vehicle of this size and stature I do not feel good about about it’s gas mileage. With that being said, I understand that in different parts of the country, and during different phases of our lives, priorities change.

I absolutely adored the luxury of this vehicle. I cannot tell you enough how fabulous it was to drive. Even Mr. G. (who has a snazzy new car of his own) kept saying, “Let’s put the miles on their car”. Honestly, this is unheard of, he enjoys his own car. The Lexus LX has luxuries on top of it’s luxuries.

I did not get a video of it, but the third row of seats is fully automated. You press a button to raise and lower them. Everything on the car is fully automatic, Jane and I stood in a parking lot opening and closing the trunk just because we found it entertaining.

Stable, fast, beautiful, spacious, workhorse, extravagant luxury. LX 570.

This is such a funny question. I’m a mom blogger. What DON’T I get from my family?

Our parents babysit the kids. I have to say that Grandparents make the most amazing babysitters. When I call my mom and ask her if she can pick the kids up after school (or camp) for me, she typically says, “I have an appointment, but I’ll change it. I’ve been hoping you would call.” Yes, really. I have babysitters that I could charge for the honor of taking care of my kids.

I do know how lucky I am.

Our kids shower us in love and entertainment. I just live for the moments when they fling their arms around me. I count on them to give my days joy. And also, they are funny. Ridiculously funny.

It’s been almost a full year of Albert Pujols (pronounced Poo-Holes) jokes, at the dinner table no less.

And my husband, he is everything. Quite simply, I rely on that man for everything, and conversely there’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for him.

Family. Good Stuff

I have two very swollen knuckles. They’re very tender, and my range of motion is limited. I made an appointment with a rheumatologist as it’s been two years of discomfort and pain.

Yes, two years. I guess I thought it would stop hurting?

Today I had an appointment with a specialist at 2pm. At 2.40pm when I was still in the waiting room I asked the receptionist if I could reschedule for another day. He was very apologetic and swore up and down that the doctor never ran late. We went back to a cubicle where a lady was tapping away on the computer, and she was going to schedule my appointment, she said she was too busy, and the receptionist and I were to find an empty computer where he could do the scheduling for us.

He found one and entered today’s appointment as a “patient cancellation” and then asked me which day would be convenient.

I stood there, trying to imagine which day I’d like to return and pay another $10 to park, and wait, and wait some more.

“I think we’re not a match.” I said. And left as politely as I knew how.

There are a half dozen highly regarded rheumatologists within walking distance of my home. It’s good to have choices.