sounds familiar

Hey there internet, what’s brewin’ with you?  Me, who knows? … who could ever know…

If you guys picked up page A1 of a newspaper this morning… you’re probably over fifty.  If you instead read an aggregate of socially-upvoted AP headlines via an RSS reader on your iPhone, you likely came across a story that broke last yesterday: the Cash for Clunkers program might be busted; flat broke.  That’s right… a week into the program and the rumor is that the Fed is going to pull the plug because they’re afraid the backlog of already-done deals might burn through the remaining funds and then some.

Personally, I agree with some of the bloggers (and others who are in the know) who think this may just be a tactic to secure continued funding for the program.  Perhaps a legitimate tactic, in that the program may really be going like gangbusters, but a well-placed PR type of tactic to show 1) how well the program is actually stimulating the industry and 2) make a plea for additional money and facilitate additional stimulus – hey, who doesn’t like more stimulus?

Seems we did our part; thanks for the stimulus, Americans.

Hey let’s switch gears…

Remember a while back when Michael Jackson died?  Oh, what’s that?  You can’t not remember because the story still dominates the news, even though there are tons of other real newsworthy stories we could be discussing?  Well, either way…. Michael Jackson did die a while back now.  And, when that happened, the radio stations went MJ crazy.  Remember now?  Yup, they played Jackson’s stuff (which, by the way, was pretty dang brilliant pre-’87) wall-to-wall.  Michael was on every station, filling every minute of every hour.  No, I’m not writing to bag on this adoration – I think it was fairly appropriate given the man’s status.  I’m writing to tell a story that all the MJ hooplah made possible.

See, during the MJ marathon, Keaton became quite familiarized with the King of Pop’s better numbers.  I mean, who wasn’t struck by a bit of nostalgia and didn’t play some of their own favorites in memorial?  Me, I rocked some of the better numbers that I think he ever did for a day or so, just to kinda fit in with the nation or something.  Sharaun, too, got her dosage via her radio habit.  So, through our couple Jackson-drenched days, Keaton learned his stuff fast.  In fact, during those days it was not uncommon to hear her singing snatches like, “… ♫ the pain is thunder! ♫ …” or “♫ pretty young thing ♫ …”  It’s amazing how fast kids can pick up on things when they’re indoctrinated for hours a day, y’know?

Anyway, Keaton’s quickly established her favorite song as Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” a track written in 1978 and intended for inclusion on 1979’s Off the Wall album but instead released on 1982’s seminal Thriller.  She was drawn to the gibberish style ending, where Jackson repeats a nonsense phrase that I’ve always sung as something close to “Mama-say, mama-saw, m-ma-coo-saw.”  (Wikipedia says I’m not far off from what he’s actually saying, either.)  Anyway, what Keaton hears and sings is different in one key way.

In what I deem one of the cutest three-year-old misheard lyrics ever, she sings “Mama-say, mama-saw, my applesauce.”  I absolutely love this; what a brilliant interpretation from within the context of a three-year old mind.  I mean, surely he’s saying “applesauce” right, no other word in the three-year-old vocabulary sounds anything like that…

Well, not only did Keaton have her own interpretation, she apparently tied that interpreted phrase to the artist singing the song.  In other words, she thinks Michael Jackson’s name is Mamasaymamasawmyapplesauce.  Yup, all one word like that… that’s his name.  To the point where when she hears any track that’s a Jackson track, she says, “Hey Mom!  It’s Mamasaymamasawmyapplesauce!”

At some point, Sharaun must have told Keaton that Michael Jackson passed away.  Those were her words, I’m certain.  Probably something like, “Did you know the singer of this song passed away?”  Well, maybe something like that… but one thing’s for sure: Keaton remembered that the guy who sings mamasaymamasawmyapplesauce “passed away.”  It’s not likely she even knows what “passed away” is, but it sure is hilarious to hear her say, whenever a Jackson track comes on the radio, “Hey Mom… did Mamasaymamasawmyapplesauce really pass away, or are you just joking?!”

Yes babe, Mamasaymamasawmyapplesauce really did pass away…

Goodnight internet.

Well guys, Friday was the day.  What day?  Why, the day that the Fed’s “Cash for Clunkers” auto-industry stimulus went into effect, of course.

If you’ve been reading my posts for the past few months, you know that Sharaun and I have been planning to take advantage of this incentive by way of scrapping the dilapidated Ford in exchange for a new car and the government’s $4,500.  The lead-up to the plan was somewhat frustrating, but, we successfully did our CARS deal on day-one this past Friday.  That’s right, we finally got a new vehicle.

The Ford is gone; and I mean gone.  Out of my head and out of our lives.  I left it sitting in front of the dealership right where I drove it up.  Gave the guy the guys and the fob and a quick warning that only one of the three doors worked so he’d have to climb in over the back seat to move the thing.  He looked at me as if I was joking, to which I said, simply, “Hey, it’s cash for clunkers, remember?”  And our clunker is now awaiting its wrecking-yard fate… after nine years of service and hundreds of thousands of miles.  I did give the old Ford a brief moment of thought whilst driving to ditch her, thanked her for her time with us.  After that though, not a look back.

In the end, for those who may be curious, the government’s plan was dead-easy to use.  We came prepared with everything the CARS website says you should bring: a year’s worth of proof of registration, a year’s worth of proof of insurance, and a clean title for the vehicle.  I knew our vehicle qualified, and I had long ago whittled down the list of prospective new vehicles which would qualify us for the maximum rebate amount ($4,500).

We sat down, signed one piece of  official NHTSA paperwork certifying our Ford qualified, and then did an optional CARS survey which was designed to determine if the program actually incentivized us to buy a new vehicle.  After that it was car buying as usual, with the trade paperwork showing a $4,500 value for our “trade in.”  Combined with the GM “friends and family” discount a buddy was so kind to enable us with, the year-end tax claim on the sales tax we paid, and GM’s 0% APR for the term of the loan – I don’t think we could have done better.

Thanks for our new ride, taxpayers.