A lot of things came together today so I could take a picture of our new car. I got home from work before the sun had set, the camera battery still had some juice in it, and I got the car washed at the dealership. So here she is... the newest member of our family. She''s a wonderful, dream car. We''ve had it for a few weeks now and there is nothing I don''t like about it. My favorite features are the heated seats, all-wheel drive, and the keyless entry system. The most fun feature is definately the Formula 1 inspired paddle-shifters.

I''ve read and heard all about the Lexus experience, I have to agree it''s all that it''s made out to be. The car buying experience was stress free. Eli, our salespeson at Woodfield Lexus was knowledgable, friendly and not at all pushy. Before we drove off with our car we went through a 30 min new owner clinic during which they explained all the cool features. The service experience has been awesome. I''ve visited the dealership twice so far; once to have the plates put on and today to get some brake dust and adhesive off the rims. While waiting in the guest lounge is not exactly fun, it''s comfortable, stocked with snacks and drinks, and has workstations with internet access. Obviously Lexus will provide a complimentary loaner to customers who''s cars are there for an extended period.

The only downside to owning a new car, I feel the need to park it as far away from everyone else as possible - you know, where all the other folks with new cars park.

I've just about had it with my iPAQ. Since the DST change I''ve attempted to sync my iPAQ with outlook at least a half dozen times with no luck. All my appointments show up an hour early on my iPAQ, even though the clock is correct. I''ve followed all the suggestions I've been given, except for the ''just manually adjust all the appointments on your iPAQ'. Umm, yeah. Why didn't I think of that? Probably because this is what my monday looks like... and the rest of the week isn't looking any better.

dissonance noun
1. a conflict of people''s opinions or actions or characters [syn: disagreement] [ant: accord]
2. the auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a disagreeable auditory experience; "modern music is just noise to me" [syn: noise]
3. disagreeable sounds [ant: harmony]

I like the sound of this word, the way it rolls off your tongue. Try it... Disssssssssonance

For most people this word probably has a negative connotation, simply because it implies disharmony or disagreement. But dissonance in a team also offers an opportunity to learn and grow. Dissonance offers an opportunity to see things from a different perspective if we let ourselves. It''s an opportunity for us to feel uncomfortable, and to be challenged and provoked which is vital for our growth as individuals and leaders. Obviously the goal is to minimize the level of dissonance, but in a team dynamic it is going to occur, so lets accept it, deal with it, and grow from it. \r\n

I''m not driving to work this morning so I started working at 5:50; actually slept in for half an hour! Taking a break right now.

- i''m tired of this long winter

- time to take a vacation

- where shall we go

- well lets see where I''ve been

... Ok it''s going to have to be someplace WARM. Back to work.