shellylh

Sorry Brent

Happy Birthday Ari!!!

Bummer indeed!

Thanks again for all the birthday wishes! I got my senior grades in late this afternoon and have been celebrating ever since.... Cheers!

That must have been an expensive cake! Thanks for all the birthday wishes. Unfortunately, I am grading all day today (grades for seniors are due tomorrow) so won't be doing any real celebrating until tomorrow. I should be able to find time for a drink or two though.

Happy Birthday!!!

That does sound like a good plan. I'll have to look into the details. It maybe difficult to do because I wont be paying for the flight.

Sorry Grahame!

Hmm, I will be flying to Wisconsin in September... maybe I can get a layover in Chicago.

I've never been there.

Very cool Jim

Cool, a wraparound aviator.

I think he means he's going to take Brent's advice. I've had a pair of Ray Ban and Maui Jim polarized wraparound and I have liked them both a lot.

Please fax Mike!

Congrat! I should try contacts again since I think there are more choices available for people with an astigmatism. For sunglasses, Ive always found it best to try them out in person.

DP

Heh, that would be useful for the potholes and such. I'll check out the Subaru. I've only driven one before (can't remember the model). It felt really flimsy and cheap but maybe the higher end models are better. Jim, we do have weather here: summer and not summer.

OK, I guess wagons and hatchbacks might be ok. I just meant that I didn't want a jeep, truck, or SUV-like vehicle. I'm not sure we'd want to get a used car.

Since we are talking about cars... Tim and I are probably going to get a new car (we share 1 car and live about 2 miles from work). We have a 1994 6 cyl Honda Accord and although it only has ~47,000 miles on it, I feel that this is the point when everything except for the engine will start falling apart (like the belts and plasticy pieces in the car, et cetera). We may just get a new 6 cyl Accord but they are a little boring. I was thinking of the Lexus ES350 depending on the price we can get. We definitely don't want to pay over $40K. Are there any other cars that we should look at. We don't drive much so don't need something that gets great gas mileage. Tim wants something that feels nicer and gives a smoother ride than the Accord but would be happy getting another one. I thought about the BMW 328i but I am not sure what is the difference between a turbo 4cyl and a 6 cyl car. Plus Tim doesn't want to pay for driving performance, just comfort, safety and how the cars feels. I assume the turbo 4 cyl is more likely to have problems in the future but maybe we wouldn't have the car long enough to worry about that. Any other cars that we should consider? I don't want a non-sedan and safety is very important (in fact, getting a 6 cyl is more for safety than anything else really).

When is mog supposed to close down?

^That's what I was thinking! It's actually a "graduation" sale.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Those numbers seem a bit strange. I should clarify that I have never owned the Synapse 25. I was thinking that the Synapse 25 (from the specs and what I read) was bigger than the Smart Alec but then I started looking at pictures and they don't seem that different. In fact, here the Smart Alec seems a bit taller (not even counting the extra bag on top of the SA).

DP

The Tom Bihn ID is great. If I could handle a messenger bag, I would carry this a lot more often. My daily carry is a TB Smart Alec. I often use it as a personal item on the plane with no problem. For me it is perfect because it holds 2 40oz water bottles in its side pockets. It also has a large cavernous space in the middle which holds a ton. I tried the Synapse (the smaller one) but sent it back since it was too small. The larger Synapse may be a bit too big for a personal item if you stuffed it too full.