I’ve been having trouble with the side door on my van not closing shut all the way. Today, I took it in to be serviced at the specialized dealer located about thirty miles south of Minneapolis. The final verdict: the motor that operates the door is wearing out and doesn’t have enough oomph to close the door all the way. The final verdict: $500+ dollars to have a new motor installed. Crap. I’m not sure if this will affect my vacation plans or not. I’ll have to wait and see what kind of tax refund I get this year. And I’m really conflicted about whether to go to Vegas or back to Miami. I feel like I should experience Vegas at least once in my lifetime, but I had such a good time in South Beach last year. And I need to balance my desire to go on vacation vs. my desire for a new iPod. At some point, I might just have to flip a coin or something.

Okay. I’m going to ask nicely. Please nominate me for a Bloggie. I’ve been doing this for over two years and, while I’m not nearly as fun to read as my friend Alexa, I think I still give good blog. If you agree, go nominate me for best-kept-secret blog. Gracias.

The Economist has a piece that critically examines the rags-to-riches myth of American social mobility. It was the article’s comparison of present-day America to the America of the late 19th century that really caught my attention. Are we living in the second age of the robber barons? In the early twentieth century, populism swept across the country in a response to the huge disparities in wealth between rich and poor. I’m not terribly confident that history will repeat itself. Republicans have been quite effective at cowing Democrats who dare raise the issue of the pervasive economic inequalities in our great nation. Any rabble-rousers are immediately branded as class warriors. And we all know that class warfare simply isn’t done in America anymore. For the left to recapture the goodwill of the public, they need to find ways to fling those accusations back in the faces of Republicans. I’m not preaching revolution (yet), but we need to talk sensibly about how opportunity is distributed in this country. Notice how I say “opportunity,” not “wealth.” I’m not a communist (yet). People should be fairly rewarded for their work. But we also need to start playing the semantics games that the right have played so well for thirty years.
I found some pretty good Vegas deals. It’s cheaper if I go during the week. As far as a hotel, I have it narrowed down to the Paris, the Bellagio, and Mandalay Bay. I’m not sure I meet the Minimum Hipster Quotient for Mandalay Bay. I’m afraid the cute desk clerk (because they usually are cute) will look at me, sniff, and politely inform me they’ve double-booked my room. Maybe I can put on some sunglasses and fake it. Oh, and I totally want to check this out while I’m there. Yes, I am a tool.

My first entry of the new year will be brief because my brother is leaving tomorrow. But here is an interesting story about some people with disabilities at a group home who use a multi-player role-playing game as their window onto the world. I’m glad these guys have some means of socializing, but I hope they’re also getting to interact with people in meatspace as well.

Here are some spectacular before-and-after images of the tsunami striking Sri Lanka. The images were taken by a satellite that just happened to be positioned over the southern coast when the waves struck.
Could it be? Is Suprnova making a comeback? Can I resume downloading that cheesy Tripods series that the BBC did in the early 80s? We’ll soon find out.