Don't get too excited - it's just an idea. Let me explain...

I went with my roommate to get his car washed. He insisted on going to a particular hand wash place. We pulled up to a big building that required us to drive in. I assumed there would be a track of some kind with machines and then people outside to dry. But then how would it be a hand wash, I wondered.

When we pulled in, I laughed out loud. It was just a big empty space and a handful of guys with hoses and scrubbers. They washed the car quickly and we drove out to get dried by another hanful of guys with towels. The whole thing was $7 but my roommate tipped $3 so it came to $10.

He laughed with me a little when I explained my impression. And then he had an idea... since it's all closed in, he thought, why not have it be a topless car wash? Not quite genius but I'm sure it would sell. Hell, he said he'd pay double that to go to a topless wash. I imagine the line would be long and they'd have to build a waiting room for underage passengers to exit into before the car could pull in, but it does make sense. Ladies would never have to wash their own cars again - men would volunteer in droves to take them to the wash.

Just something to think about.

- Judianne

To close out last night's Dave Chappelle performance, Dave welcomed a Philly street poet named Black Ice to the stage.  It was a powerful and thought-provoking performance, but wound up being strangely prophetic.

About 20 minutes into the drive home on 476 North, we drove straight into a random snow/ice storm.  At first, we really didn't think anything of it, but soon visibility dropped to around five feet.  Shortly after, we came upon a huge eight-car pileup.  Ok, one bad accident, time to take it a little easier.  A few more yards down the road and there was another set of fender benders.  It was getting ridiculous.

There were cars splayed all over the side of the turnpike.  We watched a guy in front of us lock up his brakes trying to slow down and slide right into a tanker truck.  Another few miles and we came upon the scary sight of a car on its side blocking the entire right lane.  I've never seen so many car accidents in my life - thankfully it didn't appear anyone was seriously injured in any of the ones we drove past, just pissed off and cold.

The devastation continued until we finally got to the 22 exit, and we figured from there it would be home free.  Nope, if nothing else 22 was worse.  Actually, now that I think about it, that shouldn't have been surprising at all - it's 22.  Finally my friend dropped me off (props to Jeff for the great driving skills) and he called me about an hour later (to get to bethlehem from Allentown) to say he was safe.  It's bad to say, but we both thought we might have been one of the only cars to make it out in one piece.

Other than waking up and cleaning off their cars, I wonder how many people even knew this storm happened.  Needless to say, it was clear a little caution in driving could have avoided a lot of the carnage we saw played out on the asphalt.

    -Tucker

The only good thing about being stuck at home on the couch sick is catching up on movie rentals. In addition to the slew of movies on TV that I watched this weekend, I also rented three more from the video store. I had to stop myself at three so I could try to get some sleep too.

There were so many "good" movies out to rent all of sudden. "Good" meaning things that I kind of wanted to see but didn't feel like spending $9 on. I rented "Millions," which is an indie flick about a little boy that finds a bunch of cash; "Just Like Heaven," which is that Reese Witherspoon chick flick where she's a ghost; and "Flightplan," which is the thriller with Jodie Foster where she loses her kid on the airplane.

After watching all three, the air was completely taken out of my ballooned excitement over rentals. They were all mediocre and I wish I would have slept instead of watching them. "Millions" was just boring and strange - and the DVD kept skipping, which made me crazy. "Just Like Heaven" was just like torture. And the last 20 minutes of "Flightplan" were good, but I coudl've done without the rest.

MY POINT: Beware the bloated shelves at Blockbuster this week! There's a lot of nothing that you haven't seen yet, so choose wisely.

- Judianne

Ok, I understand why gas prices vary from state to state with taxes and everything, but what's always mystified me is how gas can be cheaper in one town or section of town than in others.  Supply and demand and all that, but honestly it's a little ridiculous if you ask me.  I was in Bethlehem last night and noticed I needed to fill up, so I swing to the Hess by Tally-Ho (my old favorite when I was at Lehigh - it's sketch, but cheap and convenient).  I was shocked to discover the prices were literally 10 cents per gallon cheaper than my section of Whitehall/Allentown.

With these kind of price differences, I think I'm going to start making the special trip to Bethlehem just to fill up!  Geeze.

    -Tucker

In our latest Street Survey we asked college students in the Valley what they had planned for Spring Break. Watching the responses and putting it all together made me totally depressed. Not only do I not get a spring break this year but I am also sick right now. So, thinking about a carefree seven days on a tropical beach that I don't get just sucks. Soak it up, kiddies - once you hit the real world, spring break will only be a memory and getting tan in March will require a lot more work. I'm sure you won't be thinking about it while you're shooting tequila in your bathing suits, but it's coming soon so make sure you go big this year (especially you seniors).

- Judianne

I was out at Cannon's last night and was perusing their beer selection.  On draft they had an interesting-looking "Brooklyn Black Chocholate Stout."  I'm a big fan of stouts, so I was eager to give it a shot.  Boy was I not disappointed!  Half-hearted beer fans take caution, this is not for the weak.  It's a stout with some serious punch, right down to the minimal dark brown head.  If you can believe it, this beer was significantly heavier than Guinness.

Needless to say, it was just the beer I was looking for at the time.  Brooklyn Black is packed with flavors and anyone who enjoys a good, dark, heavy beer should swing by Cannon's or anywhere else that might have this little gem.

    -Tucker

This morning I saw a woman throw a lit cigarette out her car window onto the street. I thought for a minute about grabbing my camera phone and taking a picture of the back of her car to send to the police. But the deed was done. Next time I'll be ready to snap the shot of her pretending to put her hand out the window to hide the fact that she is balentently littering. Hello! There's an ash tray in your car (or at least something you can use as such). And if you're so grossed out by the idea of it stinking up your car then stop smoking while you drive.

I say we take matters into our own hands and start putting those who litter on the spot. Take a picture, send it in, start letting people konw that you see them trashing our world. If everyone pitches in maybe it'll make a little difference. I know I am going to start speaking up.

- Judianne

Oscar time is almost here, so why do all the movies out right now suck so bad. It really doesn't get me in the mood to admire movies or actors or Hollywood. It just makes me mad. The past few weekends, I've finally had some free time to sit down and consider going to see a movie. The only problem is that there's nothing I want to see. There's not even many good one's coming out to rent since many of the Oscar nominees are holding out to release at prime time - sucking as many more dollars out of the box office as they can before it's all over. Maybe I'm just getting old and thinking "they just don't make movies like they used to."

For now, just keep an eye on our "Coming This Week" item at MergeDigital.com - you never know when a good movie opportunity might strike.

- Judianne

They are loud and time-consuming. I love dogs, don't get me wrong, and puppies are a lot of fun to play with.  Not to mention the instant girl-magnet properties of certain dog breeds, and the universal appeal of small, furry, underdeveloped mammals.  Notice the furry part - that's what makes it universal.  Human babies are NOT cute and do NOT have appeal.  I attribute this primarily to their lack of fur - after all, baby chimps are basically the same thing, but they're cute.

Anyway, my aunt and uncle just got a new puppy and part of this weekend's tasks were to supervise my mom's dog and the new furball.  It was fine, and I didn't really mind the constant back and forth and "damn it, why did you just pee on the floor NOW after you did nothing outside the last three times I let you out."  What I wasn't able to deal with, however, was the night of lost sleep from crated-puppy-wailing-from-upstairs syndrome.  I respect my aunt and uncle's decision to crate the dog at night, but this weekend I was praying that for once they'd let the damn thing on the bed.

The only note of consolation offered by my family?  "If you think this is bad, wait 'til you have a kid."  Thanks, but no thanks - I can imagine.  Let's just say for the time being I will only be dealing with mammals that have reached a certain stage of maturity.  No babies for me.

    -Tucker

Here's the culprit - she looks like an innocent Golden Retriever puppy, but even my mom's English Setter had to roll her eyes.

There's a story in today's ODD NEWS headlines about a 62-year-old woman that just had a baby. First off - props to this broad to landing a man almost 15 years younger. Second - I think that having a baby at that age is the most selfish thing in the world. Sure people live longer nowadays but not THAT long. Third - this lady already has 12 children and is on her third husband, so maybe she should call it quits. Talk about leaving a legacy and scarring a few lives. It's just crazy.

I am not against older people getting their groove on (as long as I don't have to know too much about it) but at least TRY not to get pregnant at that age. That kid isn't going to care about being in the Guiness Book Of World Records when he's in therapy later in life.

- Judianne