Spiritual Enlightenment at Lexus
Mar 23rd, 2007 by Alex
I was at Lexus getting my car worked on last week and was reading the March 2007 issue of Spirtuality & Health magazine that a hip and happening new age owner had left behind. The magazine — printed entirely on recycled paper — is quite a load of crap, offering little in the way of answers and merely making tripe suggestions about how to find joy. On a more practical note I tend to take issue with an editor-in-chief that has a five page spread devoted to their newly-found outdoorsey lifestyle and daily activities.
Some parts amused me. There was an article entitled “As We Age, Crankiness May Be a Sign of High Intelligence,” which mentioned that “new research suggests that older people with above-average intelligence tend to have a more disagreeable nature.” I’ve become more irritatable over the past couple years, mostly complaining that I’m getting old. Perhaps it just means I’m all the more aware of the fact that I am getting older; most folks just say “you’re not old” when all I’ve been saying is “I’m getting old” which is a true statement. Thanks to the pyschologists at Morgan State University up there in Baltimore for coming up with this stuff. “Among the older participants, agreeableness was negatively correlated to intelligence.” There’s hope for me after all!
Straight off the hot sheet, did you know that adolescents actually weigh the pros and cons of high-risk behavior — such as shooting heroin, having sex with their peers, or choosing a political affiliation — a little longer (170 milliseconds) than adults do? It’s true, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Biological Sciences! According to the study, kids take longer weighing the consequences then choose the wrong thing anyways. Kids make bad decisions. Is this news? Does it require a study?
Best of all, there was a list of the thirty most spiritually literate films of 2006. Not that I would watch movies to gain spiritual enlightenment or literacy, but included were An Inconvenient Truth, Little Miss Sunshine (which I thought was okay, but figure it’s one of those movies that will win me over after a few screenings), Babel (which I want to see), Happy Feet (which I don’t want to see), and Blood Diamond (ugh, okay). I couldn’t make that up if I tried. What kind of grass were the authors smoking? and will it be readily legalized by the time I retire and decide to move to the middle of nowhere (or Hoboken NJ if nowhere doesn’t make itself available)?
Needless to say I was a bit zoned out when my car was ready. According to my mechanic — who happens to be one of my crew — I have about 60,000 miles or so until I should seriously start looking for a new car. The oil pan is leaking a bit and she’s going to need new spark plugs and wires around summertime. The brakes are slightly irregular and shine, most likely damage from my commuting days into DC. He didn’t mention the parking brake. Definitely not a death trap, but the 60k comment was disheartening… until I thought about it. My car has 117,985 miles on it. If my calculations are correct, getting 177,985 miles out of a car isn’t too bad. We’ve certainly had a good run.
We were talking about the Saturn Aura. If the V6 engine is the same out of the Saturn VUE, he thinks that it’s Honda’s 3.5L V6. Apparently Honda traded the engine for GM’s OnStar system (to put into their Acura line, most amusingly). If that’s truly the case, we’re talking about an indestructable engine in a car whose manufacture I’m pretty impressed with, all while saving ten thousand dollars or more. I could certainly live with another Saturn, probably enjoy it too…
I don’t want to jinx my current car, but I think some test drives are in order.
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