www.romanvenable.net: Clark's Weblog
Three years ago, I was feeling smarter than a squirel. Well, the squirrel's have caught up:

Time for another trip to the bird-feeder store....
To my delight and amazement, both Daniel (7) and Matthew (4) have learned to play chess! I started Daniel off with Learn to Play Chess with Fritz and Chesster, an absolutely first rate educational game to learn the basics. Although my intent was for Daniel to use it, Matthew also got into it! In what I hope will become a regular event, I played both of them at the same time on Saturday morning. In this photo, Matthew was playing white, and I was toast:

We picked up our new 2005 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited with All Wheel Drive last week. Wow. What a car. Leather, DVD navigation, rear view fish-eye camera when in reverse gear, rear seat entertainment system, moon roof, automatic side and rear hatch doors, laser cruise control, side curtain airbags front-to-back, and little hook dealy-bobs to hang grocery bags on. It came with wireless headphones for the boys and a remote for the rear seat system with batteries included. Wanna find the nearest McDonald's? No problem. Punch it up on the display.
It makes my 1998 Audi A4 2.8 quattro seem kind of, well, old. I mean, to back up I have to crane my head around and actually look back there. To dim my mirror I have to reach up to the mirror and flick that little switch. To go somewhere I haven't been before I have to have a paper map or have my wife tell me how to get there (I hate that most of all because I know she feels all superior with regard to her directional abilities anyway). The mini-van has way better cup holders, too (and way more of them)
There is one advantage to my car, though. It's paid for.
If you're in central Pennsylvania, give Bobby Rahal Toyota and Jake Mansfield a chance to earn your business.



