This last trip to Washington was definitely an interesting trip. I managed to put myself behind schedule at almost every turn I took, but it was SO worth it.

I arrived at Vienna on time - right after 10 AM. Rode Breda 4053 to Rosslyn. At Rosslyn, I got a message on my phone from Matthew Tilley. That turned into a phone call, where we discussed all sorts of stuff while I also watched birds do laps in the air above North Moore Street.

Then after that, I got on the Metro and rode Blue to Capitol South. I took a walk from the Capitol South station entrance up to Union Station, going by the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court in the process.

The Supreme Court building has netting around the pediment, due to a chunk of marble falling off the building and onto the steps on November 28. In addition, on the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court, a pro-life group stood facing the building, symbolically gagged with red duct tape with "LIFE" written in black on the tape. Take a look:



This was a religious group, and they were allegedly praying in front of the steps of the Supreme Court, presumably regarding a pro-life view of abortion, from what I gathered from speaking with their spokesperson. I question, though, whether they were actually praying, as most of them were wearing iPods and visibly rocking to the music.

I don't endorse their views whatsoever. I am strongly pro-choice. And before it was all over, I was ready to deck their spokesperson. More on that later.

After I took a few photographs of the pro-life group rocking to their iPods, I went up the steps to do some architectural photos, which was the real purpose of the walk. There, I encountered a couple also photographing the architecture. We discussed the building and the netting, and then to politics, and it was quite interesting.

After this, I did a little more photographing, including one, as I describe it, "showing tourists being tourists". It's a photo of a man taking a photo of a group standing in front of the Supreme Court. It will be on the main page before too long.

Then, standing on the first step, I took a few more pictures of the pro-life group. I was asked by a Supreme Court Police officer to come off the steps. I was aware of the law that prohibits people from demonstrating on the marble (must be on the sidewalk). In fact, that was the reason for the arrests shown in the Confirmation Demonstration photography set from nearly a year ago.

Clarifying with the officer, she said that if you're photographing the demonstration, you're considered part of the demonstration for the purposes of that law. We ended up getting into a conversation about the anti-torture demonstration, and about how she didn't want to have to arrest Mitch, Pete, and David, but they had no choice. Also found out that the officer had a sore shoulder after having to carry Mitch Potts off. See the carrying-off here.

All in all, not a bad discussion. I also got some good photos. But by now the sun was starting to move across the sky, and I needed to think about moving on. So I started to leave. Spokesman for the pro-life group asks if I'm leaving. I said yes, and wished him a good day. He starts to ask me the Jesus question. I keep moving. He keeps up. Where am I headed, he asks. I just tell him, "This way," and point in the general direction of where I'm going, and wish him a good day. He tells me about how his deity of choice loves me and wants to be a part of my life (which is really a scary thought). That's it. I tell him somewhat forcefully, "HAVE A NICE DAY." He left me alone.

Question: What is it lately that's been drawing the religious wackos to my side? There was the guy from Wayne Hills Baptist Church hitting me up about religion on the Fastlanes at work. Then there was the guy last weekend. Now this guy in DC. As I stated in this entry, my own religious beliefs are really none of their business.

At Union Station, I caught the Metro and rode past Brentwood Yard (where the cars from the November 2004 accident remain unchanged since the last time I went by), and up to Fort Totten. There I did the Green Line to Shaw, and visited the Infoshop.

The Infoshop is really a hit-and-miss as far as enjoyability goes. Some of the people who volunteer over there are not very helpful at all. Those types make the Infoshop less than welcoming. Then there are other times when the person working the Infoshop is friendly and quite helpful. Today was the latter of the two, with a friendly person at the desk. In addition, instead of the usual punk-rock type music most play on the stereo, this time classical music was emanating from the stereo. Very nice.

And then one of my favorite Infoshop regulars came by - a guy named Mike. He and I get along so well, and we always have great conversations. This was no exception. I also got to promote WikiProject anti-war a little, which has been on the Infoshop bulletin board for some time (I put it there at least as far back as September). Still, fun times.

After the Infoshop, I ran over to Mt. Vernon Square station, and visited Pentagon City. Let me just say I was later arriving at Pentagon City than I like to be. So I dashed right through the mall without taking my coat off and out to Pentagon Row, where the skating rink is.

I love photographing Pentagon Row's ice rink. I've been photographing it since October. The people running the skate shop all know me (and have been to my Web site), and think my interest in the rink is great. I intend to continue my rink visits until it closes for the season, and then is removed for the summer. Maybe I'll skate before it's all over.

Also, as of right now, I think I'm going to do a photo set compiling the season at Pentagon Row. Don't know whether it will be Life and Times or Photography. I'm on the fence about which section to put it in. I could do it more formally and seriously using the Photography format, but I think I could also do it well using the more light-hearted and less-formal Life and Times format. We'll see.

Then dinner and a Washington Post. Not bad. By then it was past 10:30, and so I was able to Metro right out to Vienna. No problem.

The ride home was good. Sheetz in Mt. Jackson. Wal-Mart in Woodstock. I love that Woodstock overnight group. They all know me over there.

In addition, the company that does the video games and such for Wal-Mart put Stacker in the grocery-side vestibule. Basically, you line up blocks at increasing speeds to win a prize. Miss and you're out. 50¢ a play. It's addictive.

Then a quick stop at the Wal-Mart in Dayton, and back home for me. Fun trip…

Oh, what a day at Wal-Mart. What a weekend at Wal-Mart, for that matter. You'd think that it was the biggest football game of the year going on based on the way these people were shopping.

Still, what left me amused was when this one lady came through my line today. She asked me to page her daughter. So I did. A few minutes later, the daughter's children (i.e. the woman's grandchildren) came up to the lady and the older one of the two said, "Grandma, we're never going out in public with you again!" I couldn't contain myself any longer - I, along with the lady who was checking out (and the target of the remark), started laughing. I'm sorry, you should have seen it. It was SO cute. Even more so when they said that their mother had told them to say it.

So that just made my day.

The title of this Journal entry comes from Toyota's promotional video for the 1991 Previa. I think that it's a fitting way to begin a tribute to a vehicle that's played such a significant part of my life:



This is my 1991 Toyota Previa, shown here on April 12, 2003 at the Vienna Metro station. We first bought this car new in late July 1990. I first rode in it with Mom when she gave it a test drive at Bob Clark Toyota in Springdale, Arkansas. We were impressed. A few days later, it was in the driveway, to begin its life as a member of our family.

This Thursday, February 9, 2006, its time with us will come to an end.

Due to the Previa's age and the failure of a number of components within the last few years, I have finally decided to retire the Previa. I am replacing it with a 2004 Mercury Sable LS station wagon:



That's what my new car will look like (this isn't of my actual car), and let me tell you - it's sweet. This car has power everything, all-leather interior, a CD player, a remote (complete with panic button), and a whole list of other options I don't need, but since they're in there, why not?

Still, as excited as I am about getting a new car, I can't help but become a little bit sentimental about the retirement of the Previa. I mean after all, this car has been with me for more than fifteen years - that's more than half my life. We first got this car when I was nine years old. I am now 24 years old.

And in those fifteen years, it's become home to a lot of memories. When we first got the car, we noted that nobody recognized us in it. Ms. Austin, my school bus driver in Rogers, didn't wave at first because she didn't realize it was us in there. We moved to Virginia from Arkansas in that van in 1992. I remember the long drive in the Previa to the veterinary hospital in Blacksburg in 1993 with the first Greta (we had a black dachshund before the Greta that you know, and this first dog was also named Greta) to look at options for treating doggy cataracts. In 1994, we brought Greta home for the first time in that van.

Later that year, on our way up to Connecticut for Thanksgiving, we hit a deer on I-81 near Woodstock. That put out a headlight and damaged the radiator, as well as causing a bit of body damage. I remember reading When Did Wild Poodles Roam the Earth? by David Feldman while sitting in the car with Mom and Sis (Dad rode with the tow truck driver) on the back of a flatbed tow truck, returning home, as the car was undriveable after its collision with the deer at interstate speeds. We ended up going to Connecticut the next day in a rented Chevy Astro van. On the way up, we saw the deer that we hit, dead on the side of the road. The Previa was quickly repaired, and was back on the road in a month. We installed deer whistles on the front bumper after this incident. In 1996, I got my learner's permit and first learned how to drive a car in the Previa. Mom was great with that, even as I subjected her to a few rough stops while I was learning.

On September 9, 1997, I was driving the Previa home from work when I somehow lost control of the vehicle and ran it into and up an embankment, through a phone box (I barely missed a nearby tree), and through a picket fence before landing back on the road, perpendicular to the normal flow of traffic. I was not injured, and the first thing I did after it was over with was to get the Previa out of the middle of the road, turn the car off, and call the parents. We thought the car was totaled. Take a look:



(Note the deer whistles in the bottom picture that were installed after the 1994 accident. These did not reappear after the repairs were completed.)

It turned out that despite $5,000 in damage to the car, it was still worth more alive than dead, and the damage was repaired. The car was back on the road on October 1, 1997, less than a month after the accident. The inside of the car smelled like bananas after it emerged from the body shop, which was a byproduct of the various car products used on it during the repairs.

I still don't quite understand how it happened. I must not have been the only person to have an accident there, though, as a project is now underway to move that section of Route 608 onto a straighter alignment.

In December 1997, the Previa was replaced as the family car when we got a red 1998 Toyota Sienna. With that change, the Previa became my car, though my parents still owned it.

Then in 1998, I got custom plates: "CITY PLZ". It was based on "City, please?" which was our opening line doing directory assistance. I kept those plates until 2004 - a full two years after our center closed.

In April 1999, I had the challenge of figuring out how to drive the Previa one-handed after I dislocated my shoulder in a fall at home, and was stuck with my right arm in a sling for a month. I somehow managed to do it, and am now quite skilled in driving one-handed with either hand as a result.

In May of 1999, the Previa was used to carry Heather Leeson, Andrea Fox, Andrea's date (whose name I can't recall), and myself to the senior prom on a double date. What a lovely night, too. I picked up Heather and Andrea in Waynesboro, went back to my house in Stuarts Draft, showed off for my parents, went to Andrea's house and showed off for her parents, went to the South River Grill in Waynesboro (back when it was in its old location on US 250), and then to prom at Mary Baldwin College.

My license plate was also featured in my high school yearbook senior year.

From 1999-2003, the Previa saw only seasonal use. I was not allowed by my parents to take the Previa to JMU with me (despite my pleas to be allowed to take it), and so I only got to drive it when I was home. That meant some weekends, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, spring break, and the summer. As a result, the Previa spent a lot of time idle in the driveway at home.

In April of 2003, while I was away at JMU, the Previa was pressed into emergency service as Sis's regular car to go to and from school, after the Sienna's transmission blew up on the way down to Virginia Tech for some sort of thing for newly-accepted students. Mom, Dad, and Sis went back home via tow truck after this happened, and Mom and Sis resumed the trip to Virginia Tech using our 1996 Ford Ranger, while Dad stayed home and figured out what to do with the Sienna. I was affected by this change because the Previa was supposed to be in Harrisonburg for a month, so I could start moving stuff out of Potomac Hall and back home. In order to be available for this unexpected use, I had to return the Previa to Stuarts Draft, and shuffle my moving plans around. I ended up getting the Previa back for the last week of classes, after the Sienna was back on the road with a new transmission.

In the summers of 2002 and 2003, as well as the fall of 2003 (my final semester), I was taking classes at JMU and commuting from home. When I was at JMU, the car was basically my "home base". I kept everything I needed when I was at JMU in the car at all times. During this time, I jokingly referred to the Previa as the "Porta-Dorm", which was a take on the term "Porta-Potty". I even wrote about it in my then-new Journal at the time. See?

During one of my commutes to JMU, I was involved in a fender-bender on September 4, 2003. The guy behind me accidentally let go of the brake, and hit me square in the rear bumper. It was a minor accident, and I was able to continue on my way after we finished the police report.

Then in April 2004, the Previa finally became mine outright. I got rid of the old license plates (one now hangs on my wall), and got new custom plates that have a contraction of "Schumin Web" on them. I had some plans to spruce the car up at that time, but these plans were never implemented.

In the summer of 2005, I designed a bumper sticker and put it on a magnet. That magnet went on the back of my car. It said, "My other car is a Breda". I had it for about a month or two, then lost it when I accidentally left it on and took the car through a car wash. No more magnet.

Then in the fall of 2005, I discovered to my dismay that the heat was not working when I attempted to start it up for the first time of the season. Unlike a few other issues that I was willing to defer, heat was a must-have. Needless to say, I got the heat fixed pretty quickly.

And now, in 2006, having traveled 275,000 miles, it appears to be the end of the road for the Previa. It's been around a bit in that time, though, having driven through parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Washington DC, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York state, and Connecticut. It's traveled on North Carolina ferries between Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island, riding on the Alpheus W. Drinkwater, the Chicamacomico, and the Frisco.

However, before the Previa is retired, it will have one last hurrah. I'm going down to Roanoke this Wednesday to see a friend, and I'd rather do that trip in the Previa, which I know like the back of my hand, than with a new car that I'm not used to yet.

I also can tell now that it's not going to be a simple farewell for the Previa. Today, just talking about all the memories made me a little misty-eyed. If it's possible to fall in love with a car, I'd say that over the course of so many years, miles, and oil changes, that I've grown quite attached to it, and that giving it up will be difficult to do.

The Previa's had an absolutely wonderful last hurrah. I went down to Roanoke, and met up with my friend Amanda Mone, who also now has the honor of being the Previa's last passenger.

We had a blast, too. We met up in Salem, and kind of ran all over Roanoke. We went to Valley View Mall for a while, then went out to Bonsack, then went out to Tanglewood Mall, went to the Roanoke Star, and finally to the IHOP near Valley View Mall for dinner. Then, after dropping Amanda off, it was back home to Stuarts Draft.

It was really a great trip, and it really was a celebration of the old van while spending quality time with a friend.

In a way, it kind of reminded me of the last voyage of the SS Canberra, because such a tremendous celebration was made to commemorate that ship's last formal voyage.

And I made sure that this last trip in the Previa was special, too.

And in what has been typical form for the Previa lately, another system stopped working near the end of the trip. This time it was the air vents, as they stopped working on the way home, essentially leaving the car with minimal heat (but nothing like those two months when the heat was out a while back).

Now, though, there are a few things still to do. I have to move all my stuff out of the car, leaving only the things that I need to take the car out on Thursday. And there is only one trip left to make - to Whitesell's Service Center, where my new car is. There, the Previa will be formally retired, and I will drive off in my new car, a 2004 Mercury Sable LS station wagon. I am just tickled about my new car, but I will certainly miss the Previa.

It's really something to see, but my old Previa is now officially a part of automotive history. The final mileage on that car was 275,275 (funny how it came out like that).

And the car was very much on its last legs, too. It failed its last inspection due to brakes, an exhaust leak, a crack in the windshield, a sticky door handle, and a few other odds and ends. Besides that, a number of other components went over time. The radio died in 1999. The sunroof, which was originally motorized, stopped working in 2001 or so. There was a strange dent near the driver's side door that made a cracking sound when it opened. The air conditioner was on its last legs in 2002, barely cooling the air, and then was gone completely for 2003. The driver's side window started having trouble coming back up if it was lowered all the way down starting in 2003. In 2005, something hit my windshield (probably a rock), causing a crack that proceeded to grow quite a bit. In addition, the heater stopped working in October. You may recall that I discussed having no heat here, discussed getting it fixed here, and actually got it fixed here. That was one problem I couldn't stand and thus had to have fixed.

Then in 2006, the brake light came on and stayed on while I was trying to park at the Vienna Metro station on my January 18 trip to DC, accompanied by the brake pedal going much further down than it used to before coming to a stop. That was scary at first, but a number of test-brakings confirmed that it was still drivable, and got comfortable handling this. The interior manual lock switch on the driver's side door also broke that day as well. I got the car inspected the next day and it failed as expected. Dad and I determined that the cost was prohibitive, and I went car-shopping. Then in the last month, on my most recent DC trip (February 1), the interior power lock switch stopped working to lock the doors. It would, however, unlock. So this meant that I had to lock the door with the keys. The plus to that, though, is that it was impossible to lock my keys in the car. And lastly, as I mentioned here, the air blowers stopped working on the way home from the car's final trip before retirement.

Needless to say, I was not too concerned about that one, since I was only 30 miles or so from home, and the car would only be making one more trip - a trip from which it would not return.

Speaking of which, that last run went quite well. I went to the bank and the credit union to get everything straightened out, and then off to Whitesell's to finally purchase the new car. I also managed to get $150 for the Previa, where it will most likely see retirement in a junkyard or something.

And I slipped into the driver's seat of a 2004 Mercury Sable LS station wagon, and took off. The first trip was to DMV, where I paid the sales tax on the Sable (gotta render unto Caesar what is his), and officially transferred the registration from the Previa to the Sable. My custom "Schumin Web" license plates are now on the Sable, and looking fine. I was also the last customer at the Waynesboro DMV for the day, having gotten in just before closing time. Lucky me!

And from there? Sheetz, Wal-Mart, and back home. I put the first full tank of gas in the Sable at Sheetz, and went to Wal-Mart to try to get keys made. Turns out my key has a chip in it, and so they couldn't reproduce it because it wouldn't work in the car if they tried.

Coming home, I took Mom and Dad out for a little ride, making them my first passengers. So I got to show off the car for them. Very nice, indeed. Both parents were very impressed with all the little niceties that are in there. That and the automatic lights and the remote and all that.

And now, it's in its new home, in the driveway. Next trip will be to work.

And when people ask where the Previa is now, I just say, "Heaven."

Funny how things work out sometimes. I've only had the Sable for two days, and we've already bonded in a way that can only occur when you're driving home from work in the snow. It snowed today, you see. And with my still not being completely used to the car, I took it out in the snow. And we made it out and back in one piece.

And let me tell you... the Sable seems to handle better in the snow than the Previa. I'm thinking it's because it's front-wheel drive (the Previa was rear-wheel drive), plus it's closer to the ground. The Sable is also a breeze to clean snow off of, too. It's because it's not so tall. Not so much reaching to do there, compared to the Previa, which was a full head taller.

Now tomorrow is going to be really fun, though, as I have to drive through all the snow in the morning, in the dark.

$64.95. That's the magic number to get the Ford dealership to start the process of making new keys for my car. See, I have programmed "smart" keys for the Sable, and so I can't just go get a key cut. One person I spoke with said I'd need to go to the dealership, and "bring your checkbook." He wasn't kidding. And the $64.95 is just to hook up their computer. The keys are $18-something on top of that.

Meanwhile, I'm taking the car to Washington for the first time today, and that ought to be fun. With a new car in hand, I get to enjoy such comforts again that had stopped working long ago on the old car such as cruise control and a radio. I will actually be able to listen to NPR on the way up now. I'm tickled.

This trip will also help determine whether or not I'm going to let people (and by "people" I really mean "me") eat in the Sable. Having drinks is okay, as I have been having my regular soda every day on the way to work. Still, I used to eat in the van, usually on my trips to Washington. The question becomes whether I am still going to do that, or whether I'm going to, like, eat the food at Sheetz. The Sheetz I go to in the mornings is a truck stop-style store, so there's a large eating area in there.

This will also be my last Wednesday trip to DC for the foreseeable future, as it seems work is changing my days off, and so future DC trips will need to be taken on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Then April 22 is the date of the Spring 2006 meeting of the World Bank, and so there will be a Saturday trip in there for that demonstration (call it A22?).

Anyway, though, there you go. See you later on...

I went to Martin's with my friend Katie on Friday, and we had a blast. The thing I noticed first off, though, was in the right-side vestibule. Notice anything wrong with this photo of the fire alarm annunciator?



First of all, the system is in a supervisory condition. But notice what's in the keyhole! Someone left the key to use the buttons on the annunciator in place! And notice that third button from the left. It said "Drill - hold 2 sec" on it. All of a sudden, I'm fantasizing about conducting my own fire drill at Martin's. I would never actually do it, because such a stunt would probably land me in jail. Still, I can't believe someone left the key to control the alarm system out unattended in a publicly-accessible place.

Otherwise, though, Katie liked the Sable.

Speaking of the Sable, I finally got some photos of it on Wednesday. I took these on my DC trip, and appropriately enough, I photographed the car at Vienna...



As you can see, this is a "sensible" car. And I have no problem with sensible cars. I also like having a working radio again. I listened to NPR both ways on the way up. I listen to WMRA (90.7 FM) out of Harrisonburg as far as Strasburg, then change to WETA (90.9 FM) out of Washington when I get on I-66. Not bad. Then on the way back, WETA runs BBC news overnight. I finally lose the signal at Woodstock. WMRA plays classical at night, which is not good for late-night driving. That last leg of the trip is when I need something bouncy to listen to.

And lastly, I ordered a new pair of Chuck Taylors on the Internet tonight. Currently, I have a pair of black Chucks. These new ones will be red, and made of "distressed" canvas. Either way, though, it will be a nice change, and also, I've managed to run my current pair to death, as evidenced by the holes I've worn in them in a few places.

Who would have thought back when I was made fun of by Greg Galcik on his Spinnwebe site back in 2000 that now, in 2006, I would be one of the stronger defenders of the Spinnwebe article on Wikipedia?

It's true!

The article on Spinnwebe on Wikipedia is up for deletion again, after having previously been deleted out from under us, and after someone else recreated the article. I have voted to keep the article, needless to say. I also was the initial creator of the original Spinnwebe article.

This whole process also goes to show how some people can get when they're determined to accomplish something. A few users seem dead set on killing the article about Spinnwebe. It just kind of amazes me.

Check these out:



These are the new Chuck Taylor shoes that I recently bought online from classicsportshoes.com.

These replace the black Chucks that I've been wearing since last April. Why the replacement? Because my old Chucks were starting to show their age, as they had developed some holes, and things were starting to generally fall apart. But of course, you realize I wore those shoes, and wore them hard. So it's to be expected that they would eventually die.

These new ones are red, and they're made of "distressed" canvas. I talked to the people at The Shoe Dept. at Staunton Mall about it, and they told me that distressed canvas is basically canvas that's made to look like it's worn. And in fact, there's some canvas sticking out on the back of these that's already been made to look shredded. As I say it, it's shoes that are made to look like they've been around the block a few times already.

And thus I am giving in to a fashion style that I've always considered a wee bit ludicrous. I never understood why people would buy clothes that were made to look like they'd been around the block a few times. You know the kind - the ones with the knees shredded up, and with weird coloration that makes it look like they've seen some hard use. And I always considered myself above that. And now I'm doing it with my shoes.

Of course, such is the whole Chuck Taylor thing anyway. It comes with the turf. I also like them because I do run with the activist crowd in DC a bit, and when you go to a protest, you certainly see a lot of people wearing Chucks. On September 24, I saw a lot of people wearing Chucks. This is in part because they're "vegan" shoes - they contain no animal products. That's also why leather Chucks amuse me.

Plus the shoes are cheaper than other shoes. And even better - these were on sale. That's always a plus, considering I have a station wagon that I'm still paying for.

So all in all, I'm tickled about my new shoes.

Tomorrow evening, I'm going ice skating at Pentagon Row. I figure, what the hey - it's my last DC trip during Pentagon Row's ice skating season. The last day of skating is in early March, and then the entire setup disappears. I do intend on taking photos during the tear-down, as I think I'm going to get at least one visit while tear-down is in progress.

Now as you may know, I've been photographing the skaters there all season. Now, with this being my last visit of the season, I'm going to end my season there with a bang. And hopefully, that "bang" will not be my fanny landing on the ice.

Realize that it's been ten years since I've been skating at all. It's been even longer than that - twelve years - since I've been ice skating specifically. And my entire ice skating experience consists of one rather short skating trip in Connecticut.

A few of my coworkers have assured me that skating is like riding a bicycle - once you've learned it, you never forget. Still, I'm nervous about it, but I'm also quite excited about it. Roller skating, I used to have fun with it. Ice skating, as mentioned, I only did once, and it was not exactly a pleasant experience for various reasons that we won't get into here.

Still, when I told coworkers, I said it this way - "I'm going ice skating tomorrow, and afterwards, I'll let you sign my cast." Hopefully, though, things will go just fine, and I won't break a leg or something. And hopefully I'll have some pictures of me skating on the ice. We shall see...