My Toyota Morning

So, I'm sitting here at the Toyota dealership waiting to get my brakes fixed.

They've got sausage and egg biscuits to help ease the suffering of all the folks with recalled cars, a little computer lab for web surfing and whatnot, a machine that brews single cups of tan coffee, a comfortable semi-private bathroom I've already had the pleasure of christening thanks to those tans cups of coffee, and a sitting room now showing the 2006 Robin Williams flop, "Runaway Vacation."

I may never go home.

I wish I knew more about car repair, specifically, how much things should cost, because no matter how much fun I'm having here, I know when they finally come to me with a rundown on the repairs I came to get and the repairs they think I should get, I'll feel completely helpless and ignorant.

Here's another thing I'm unsure about: When Kiichiro Toyoda founded the company in 1937 , why did he choose to name it "Toyota" with a "T"?

Maybe I'll ask somebody here. There's a Japanese guy at the computer next to me, maybe he knows?

OK, I'm not going to ask him. I'm sure he already feels "great shame" about this whole recall debacle. What he really needs is a friend, not another inquiry.

I've been here an hour already, had two cups of tan coffee and one sausage and egg biscuit. I've checked the three web sites I usually visit, listened to a demo of XM radio, sauntered around the new Scions in the showroom and sneaked a few peeks at what the people next to me are doing on their computers. The Japanese guy is looking at something titled "Laboratory Tests."

I'm ready to go home.

Winter Olympic fever

I always say I'm not going to catch it, but here I am again watching these damned Winter Olympics.

It's a joke, really. All of these made up sports.

Last night, I watched the women's moguls, which I Googled to discover had nothing to do with the non-wizarding world of Harry Potter. Instead, it's skiers zig-zagging over a series of bumps, or "moguls," with a couple of well-placed ramps that launch the racers skyward, enabling them to do various flips and spins on which they are judged by an international panel. The competitors' total scores are based on their technique on turns and in the air, as well their speed down the hill.

It's a strange little sport, but pretty damn riveting.

What gets me most intrigued during the Winter Olympics is all the whacked out jargon NBC's commentators throw out during the competition. After a couple of runs down the hill in last night's women's mogul event, I completely understood what they meant when they said, "She's coming down with a lot of heat into the kicker, but was still able to stick the Heli."

It will get crazier as the games go on, and by the end of these two weeks, I should feel quite comfortable throwing out a "Salchow" in conversation here and there. Oh, you thought it was sow-cow?

I can't believe you've never heard of Swedish figure skating pioneer Ulrich Salchow. Sad.

Savannah Culture

We experienced a little culture last weekend in Savannah thanks to the Telfair Museum's very free Jepson Center.

The coolest thing was definitely an installation by Taiwanese artist Shih Chieh Huang callled "Counterillumination (C-2010)." It's hard to describe and the pictures available online don't do it justice, but basically he uses lights and a bunch of cheap little electronic gadgets, including synchronized computer fans that inflate and deflate plastic baggies, to create these futuristic looking creatures that resemble primitive life forms.

I did find this video that shows how he makes these creepy eyes.



Here's another one that shows the breathing baggies:



The Jepson Center also had these interactive game installations that read your movements. The first one made me feel like I was in a cross between Tron, Pong and the Billie Jean video.



The second one placed you in front of this streetscape background, then produced a musical note based on your height. The note was accompanied by pretty bubbles that floated over your head.