Random Book Critique, Bears Critique and Vacation Planning

I read a lot of romance novels. I don't like to read much else because I like happy endings and I don't want to think too much because quite frankly I think enough at work. Well there is a lot of romance novel crap out there. I mean total crap and I grabbed this book thinking I liked the author and then I realized I was thinking of another author. So, I'm reading it and in the second chapter we meet the hero; a wealthy young man who owns an economy car and pick up truck. After his last girlfriend "lied" to him (premise of the story since the title is Tell Me No Lies) and he had to dump her, to get out of his dulldrums he bought a Jeep Cherokee. A Cherokee. A Cherokee! What redblooded, small town, american (or canadian) boy (or girl) buys a freaking cherokee as a fun car! I could see if she had said Wrangler; that is sexy and fun. But not a CHEROKEE! Buy a sports car or a supped up truck. Or for at least an Escalade! Give me a break. I read another chapter or two (the Cherokee gets rearended by the heroine) and I just could not get past the use of a Cherokee as the vehicle one buys when they get dumped. Maybe when the dumping is divorce and there are kids involved, but come on. A Cherokee. UGH! Another example of stupid books getting published when my sister's awesome stories don't get published. Who are these people who decide to publish this crap?

In another example of poor use of logic, my dear Chicago Bears have hired Rod Marinelli. Rod. Marinelli! Of the 0-16 Detriot Lions. I love loyalty and I don't think most people are loyal enough especially in pro sports. I understand Lovie Smith and Mr. Marinelli are like best friends; however, if you are in a hiring position, your team showed a lack of heart last year, so you want to add someone who helps get that heart back........ So you hire the guy whose team was the first to ever go 0-16! Where was their heart? If you can't get your team up to win one game all year, you have no motivational abilities whatsoever. He may be a fantastic defensive line coach, but I don't think Lovie Smith is doing right by the fans (aka the consumer of the product being put on the field). He may be trying to do right by his friend, but there 30 other teams in the NFL (not counting the Lions, obviously he isn't going back there) and I am sure Rod Marinelli has ties to a lot of them given that he comes from the Tony Dungy coaching line. So let him get his confidence back somewhere else; where his BFF isn't propping him up.

Finally, VACATION. DH and I are at least making plans for the vacation. I was running time lines and to at least hit all the places we want to hit, it was going to be right at 2 weeks. So, I figure lets utilize the weekends on both ends and make it a little longer. Looking at the timing and distance of everything, it is only 80 miles further if we swing by my parents house on the way to Niagra (which considering it is 450 miles one way to my parents, that makes it on the way). So, current plan has us heading out the Saturday before Mother's Day and getting to my parents and spending most of Mother's Day with mom and dad and Grandma Bonnie. Then heading toward Michigan (I think we will cut across Canada to get to Niagra). This will also take us pretty much right past the cemetary my Grandpa is burried at (well, his ashes are burried). I did not get to go to the inturnment since it was the Monday after the Friday funeral 13 months ago (and I had to work that week and then we came back the following Saturday to spend Christmas with them; talk about CRAZY). So, it would be very nice to stop there. Our current schedule has us making the trip home the Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. We can use Sunday as a Flex day and possibly spend an extra day somewhere and Monday as day to recoup before heading back to work. The only bad thing is that I wind up with my day to be at my cousin as Thursday. I hope that works for her. I would hate it if it didn't. Anyway, is it May yet.

Oh the only thing I don't know is if I want to keep it a surprise from some people of us being there for Mother's Day. I would like to, but given my compulsive planning issues (which my mother has the same), I don't think I will be able to keep it a secret.