Snoqualmie

My car gave its cute little It-Is-Getting-Cold-So-Keep-Your-Stupid-Californian-Ass-Out-Of-Black-Ice beep this morning for the first time in quite a while. I am suitably terrified.

It beeps when you hit black ice? Or it beeps when you hit the temperatures at which black ice becomes a hazard? It has a separate beep for black ice as opposed to all other things you might want to watch out for, like deer in the road, brakelights ahead, buffeting winds, large concentrations of windshield-height insects?

I'm feeling sarcastic and frustrated. The ending of Life of Pi left me profoundly worried. I need to yell about it for a while, in case anyone else around here has read it. Please speak up if you have.

/me pokes head up and looks cautiously around like a groundhog.

I read it a while ago. I also forgot most of the specifics of the ending, but remember being dissatisfied that it didn't end the way I expected.

As I said, the beep is merely suggesting that I keep my ass, and only my ass, out of black ice, which is really a good suggestion any time of the year. A frostbitten ass is least of all a pretty thing.

It just so happens that my car only makes the suggestion when the outside temperature drops to 37 degrees Fahrenheit (which is quite amusing on days, like today, when sunlit areas are above 37 degrees and shaded areas are below; my car beeped quite a bit on the way to work, passing under bridges and through the shade of tall buildings).

After watching the movie "?," I have resisted reading "Life of Pi" for fear of unjustifiably but inevitably comparing the one to the other. And, no offense to a book I've never read, but the movie will blow its socks off. No contest.

But I'd love to hear about the book, as that beats reading the damn thing any day.

Silly rabbit, "?" is for kids!

(it's not showing up as the symbol for pi on my machine. Anyone else having that problem?)

yeah poot, i'm not so much seeing it, either...and i was just about to ask if "?" is the sequel to "PI".

Life of PI: the story of how a young man in search of God crosses the Pacific Ocean with a migraine headache.

Incidentally, Poot, Life of Pi is not about the number pi. It has, indeed, nothing to do with numbers or patterns. It's about animals. I really doubt you'd find yourself comparing it to the movie Pi, so you'll need a new excuse not to read it.

I believe that "poot" is intentionally left uncapitalized. In fact, the only time I've seen it capitalized is when the honorofic "the Destroyer" is included.

Well, far be it from me to contradict his wishe-- wait, no, sorry, I got that one wrong. More capitalization for him! Poot Poot Pootity Poot! Take that, sucker!

You know, since I'm a card-carrying member of the club to which I believe I referred once before when finding myself in a discussion with him, and all.

I guess the "unjustifiably but inevitably" line didn't convey a half-joking tone very effectively. All apologies.

Dead serious about not reading it though. My time is reserved for video games, and possibly (shudder) research.

Speaking of research, if anyone knows where I can get info (REAL info) on Clear Channel Communications' national holdings, acquisitions, and/or corporate infrastructure, please let me know.