über-mini

I thought my car was small. I ran into (not literally, thankfully) this Smartcar in a parking lot recently. I wanted to get a better picture but the cars in the backround seemed perplexed with how to get around my car (even though there was a good 75 feet of clearance behind my car to the curb) I'm curious what this car is like on the highway? I love my mini; It is beautiful on the highway, very smooth actually, given the tight suspension that it has. I wonder what this car would be like? It seems like it would almost launch off of small bumps in the road instead of cruising over them. My mini's short wheelbase can give you a little jump in the seat on some roads little ups and downs, I'd imagine this car would be more like a motorcycle and give you a bit of a kick up in the air inside :) I don't know. Looks fun. They were from Canada it seems, I bet they were a good time, but they didn't come out while I was taking the picture so maybe someday they'll see this picture and smile.

No Smoking

Clearly, this sign is being heeded.
What I can't understand is how people can still smoke in this day and age, knowing what we know. Especially outside a hospital. Sometimes, wearing scrubs, occasionally even a white coat. I think that's just terrible. Please stop doing that, people.

The best at home?

Ahhh... home espresso. Look at that crema. I have to admit, this is the best whole bean espresso roast coffee I have found in Albany so far, and it is from The Daily Grind on Lark street. I was surfing around today, shirking work and working out, and found this awesome website. Now, this is taking your latte art to a new level. Anyways, while on the never-ending search for the best lattes, so far the best latte I have had has come from Uncommon Grounds in Saratoga, NY. Now, keep in mind, this is only post 3 for me, so the adventure has just begun, really. The folks up in Saratoga know how to do it right, and even gave me a very well done latte with a shamrock for St. Patrick's day.

Well done, lads!

Yes, it was a nice cup of joe. The latte art is just a nice finish, but suggests that they are actually paying attention to the espresso below, which overall made this one good cup of coffee. The subtle differences of this cup compared to the average cup. The coffee in the Albany location just doesn't quite measure up. My personal theory is that the folks in the Saratoga location are closer to the original owners/operators who give them some good teaching, or perhaps it is the atmosphere of Saratoga itself. Whatever the case, they definitely get a vote for some of the best in the upstate area so far. But stay tuned folks, more to come.

Drive

Scratch those last sentiments... if I need to remember why to move from here, I should think about it immediately after driving home in 5 o'clock traffic on the crappy, pot-hole riddled streets of Albany...
Anyways, on a musical note, I am sad that it took appearing on the cover of The Rolling Stone for me to hear about Amy Winehouse... I am happier, however, that I am now listening to a brand spanking new copy of the CD as I write this.

Mini

Another beautiful day... another beautiful ride in the Mini... The wife and I took a trip to New Paltz, NY to visit family. We had a great weekend. I got to go to one of my favorite music stores, drive on the back roads of upstate NY... It will be difficult to move from here. But to quote Rush circa 1981: "...those changes aren't permanent, but change is"