Requiem for a Malibu

So up until yesterday, this was my ride:



It's a 1999 Chevy Malibu. Killer wheels, for sure. This car's been great to me, driving me to and from Michigan, around Tennessee, and for the past couple years, here in Tallahassee. With 114k miles on it, I was wondering if it was going to make it through the next four years (my time in medical school) or if I was going to have to get a newer car. Fortunately an answer came to my question in the form of a car bought from my grandma:



It's a 1999 Pontiac Bonneville. Best part of the car is that there are only 40k miles on it, and that 70k difference is a HUGE deal. Now I don't have to worry about auto problems or anything like that, at least not for a few more years. So I'm in the unique predicament where I actually own two cars at once:



Granted, it's a great problem to have. I can sell the Malibu, which still works great, and use that money to help out with moving expenses, rent, books, etc. for med school and the move to Bradenton in July. Heck, even Mickey is admiring my good fortune:



Look at him gaze on the awesomeness of my two cars! In addition to the car (which will find its way to Craigslist as well as the Tallahassee Democrat classifieds) I'm dumping stuff on eBay. My childhood has a Buy It Now(tm) price!

In other news, I made a trip up to Charlotte to see my friend Laura and her family, and other than a trip I need to make to Ohio to see another friend (Amy) I am probably done with the trips for quite a while. I'm working just about every weekend and evening teaching MCAT, and during most days tutoring athletes. Classes are pretty easy (Advanced Analytical Chemistry and Spanish 3) so I'm looking forward to a challenge again. Med school will be good for that.

I'm such an addict to Web 2.0 stuff. I love using Digg and del.icio.us for online bookmarking, Last.FM for keeping track of my music, YouTube for posting and watching videos and even stuff like Wakoopa for keeping track of my software. I like the social aspect, the ability to compare my stuff to what others are doing. I'm a statistics junkie. I love seeing charts and graphs and figuring out where my tastes and habits fit in versus others.

So when Twitter popped up, I loved it. I've used the Away status message in AOL Instant Messenger for years to tell friends what I'm up to, and Twitter made it possible to do this in a wider way, one that didn't require access to AIM. Twitter's great, but I discovered a service called Jaiku which allows me to roll all my Web 2.0 stuff all together in one place. Twitter, YouTube, Last.FM, my blog posts here; all together in one convenient spot. It's the best way to keep track of what I'm up to.

If any of my friends ever started using any of those services it'd be great, but I understand that not everybody gets (or likes) the social aspect of some of these sites. Oh well.

For music, the new Apples In Stereo album is incredible.

I'll leave you with some more 11-Word Movie Reviews. Don't forget to check out the new link on the right which will always bring you to the 11-WMR page. Here goes:

Battle Royale II: Requiem (2003):
A steaming pile of anti-American boring propaganda. A real snoozer sequel.

The Fisher King (1991):
Bridges and Williams are incredible. This flick is really a gem.

The Jackal (1997):
Willis and Gere were great. I would watch this one again.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005):
How did this awesome movie bypass my radar for so long?

Mad Max (1979):
Dubbed from Australian to American? Huh? Wouldn't call it a "classic".

Man on Fire (2004):
A fantastic performance by Denzel. One of my favorite revenge movies.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007):
An hour too long, odd, but somewhat enjoyable. Keith Richards rocked.

School for Scoundrels (2006):
Funnier than I thought it was going to be. Thornton's hilarious.

Shrek the Third (2007):
I love these movies. All the pop culture references kill me.

Smokin' Aces (2007):
This one's worth skipping. Lame ass plot twist couldn't save it.

Spider-Man 3 (2007):
Wow, this movie was a turd. Lost the magic, Sam Raimi?