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 Review: The 2008 BMW M3 Coupe
Here's one of the first things you should know about my week with this beautiful car: Three different people, total strangers, had no reservations at all about walking up to me and asking about it. One guy even asked if he could sit behind the wheel and just feel it. True story.
Yes, of course I let him. It was that or watch him stand there in a pool of saliva.
BMW introduced the M3 in the late 80s, and boy has it come a long way from that first model and its 192 horsepower. The 2008 version sports a V8 with more than 400 horses, a carbon fiber roof if you like, and an automatic seatbelt presenter. Uh, I'll explain in a minute.
First, start with the looks. Yum. 'Nuff said.
Second, move inside. Pure luxury, of course, comfortable, and well laid out. The only negative (in my humble opinion) is that frustrating iDrive that some people adore, while many others (like me) can't stand. BMW and I will never agree on it. They claim they want to eliminate clutter from the console, and I say I'd rather have clutter than have to navigate through their various menus. Sheesh.
But that's almost nit-picking. I did chuckle when I first started the car and a mechanical arm "delivered" my seat belt to me, so that I wouldn't have to twist and turn sideways to reach it. Okay, that's cool, I guess. Spoil me a bit for my 70 grand, right?
Then, there's the drive. I used to not like the M Drive double-clutch transmission, but it's grown on me. If you're in the mood for manual, just use the paddles on the wheel (which takes some getting used to). Or, if your hands are full with a phone and taco (yes, I ate tacos in the M3...sue me), then you can push the car into automatic.
Amazing performance, as always. This gem will drive you back into your seat with its power, and yet it handles like no other, maneuvers like a pro, and stops better than almost any car I've ever driven. I took it up to 110 at one point (sue me again) and the brakes brought me back to zero in what seemed like ten feet. That's called an exaggeration, but you get the point.
Bottom line? Love it to death, even holding my nose over the iDrive. Look the other way when they present the gas mileage figures (Ready? 14 and 20), and hope that your commute is just a few miles. You'll smile every day, as long as you don't mind total strangers wanting to sit in it...
Review: The 2008 Lexus LX 570
Let's get the disclaimer out of the way first, and then get on with the review. Okay...I am not the biggest fan of the biggest vehicles. I drive a 4Runner, which is not too big and not too small. When I drove the LX 570 for a week, the 4Runner had to sit outside, because the brawny LX took up more than its share of a two-car garage. Strike One in my book.
And yet, try as I might, I had a heckuva time coming up with a Strike Two.
This luxury SUV is prepared to go off-road, if that's your taste, although the running boards might end up a bit dinged. But the point is this 5.7 liter V8, with 383 horsepower and more than 4-ton towing capacity, can handle just about anything you want to throw at it.
Let's be honest, eh? You're much more likely to see this baby being valet parked at Cherry Creek than you are taking the over-the-pass trek between Ouray and Telluride. It's very sweet, inside and out.
The LX uses the same power train as the Toyota Land Cruiser, but the Land Cruiser doesn't pamper you like this. Pure luxury on the inside includes 4-zone climate control, personalized settings, 8-passenger seating, power sliding 2nd row seat, Bluetooth, rear-view camera...and about a million other touches.
The Lexus might be gigantic, but the drive is understandably smooth and powerful. Listen, you already feel invulnerable driving one of these things, but there's still a ton of safety features that add to the comfort. I even grudgingly have to say it looks darned good sitting at the curb.
I know that if you pay 80 big ones for a vehicle like this you probably don't care all that much about fuel economy, and that's good, because there is none. 12 in the city, my friend. Just keep telling yourself, to the mall and back.
Bottom line: Big and showy, but smooth and luxurious. Turn on that Mark Levinson surround sound audio system and treat yourself like royalty.
Immediate Gratification
This is an article that I composed a while ago for the Big Brain Club web site, but sat on for several weeks. I guess I felt that it would only resonate with a few people, and so I questioned publishing it at all. But, like the old saying goes, "if it helps just one person..."
The idea is that we often associate immediate gratification with things like impulse purchases, or food, or countless other material things. In this case, however, I'm attaching the concept to raising kids, as well as the educational system. Here's a link to read it for yourself, and, as always, offer any feedback that you'd like.
 Sleepy Kids
Bless their hearts, they're tired. Sure, they stay up too late...but maybe they just can't help it. I'm rarely one to use that excuse, but in this case it just might be true. It could help to explain a lot when it comes to education.
Here's a link to my article on the subject.
 Thank you for putting my latest book,
Galahad 3: The Cassini Code,
on the best-seller list !!!!
Here's the link to the Denver Post's book section:
http://www.denverpost.com/books/ci_7535743
Scroll down to the Paperback Fiction section. Thank you again!
 Galahad Book Series Finds a New Online Home
It's the official debut of the Club Galahad web site. For the past few years, the Galahad books have shared space on my personal web site (www.DomTesta.com). Now, however, fans of the book series have their own home.
www.ClubGalahad.com features news and events, a book ordering page, as well as several very cool FREE downloads that you can access. Plus, you'll be able to sign up for the free e-newsletter.
Thanks to the good people at Webolutions for their continued hard work behind the scenes. And thanks to artist David A. Hardy for his graphics, and the amazing image folks at CICLOPS/NASA for their images.
Chapter 1 of Dom’s Chick Lit Book, Lexie
 Okay, so it was supposed to be a romance novel, but somewhere along the way it turned into your traditional Chick Lit story.
But that’s okay. What started out as almost a joke has suddenly begun to take form. We discovered that romance novels account for more than half of all paperback book sales, and I began to wonder why I'm writing Young Adult novels when romance is the way to go! Jane supplied most of the character names and bio info. After a little input from Dom and Jane listeners, a loose plot took shape.
Now you can download the first two rough chapters (unedited, of course), and see for yourself. There’s no official title yet (I call it "Lexie" for now), but we do know that my pen name for this story will be Tyber North.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This book is rated PG-13, so if you are sensitive to adult language, stop now. It’s not vulgar, nor graphic, but it’s no kids’ book, that’s for sure.
Click here to download Chapter 1 as a PDF file.
When you’re finished, send an email with your feedback to Feedback@DomAndJane.com (Please put the word “Lexie” somewhere in the subject line.)
Chapter 2 of Dom’s Chick Lit Book, Lexie
Okay, so it has taken awhile...hey, I have a lot of projects going on!! But here is the unedited version of chapter 2. Yes, Lexie lives on. Of course, I must offer the same disclaimer below:
IMPORTANT NOTE: This book is rated PG-13, so if you are sensitive to adult language, stop now. It’s not vulgar, nor graphic, but it’s no kids’ book, that’s for sure.
Click here to download Chapter 2 as a PDF file.
When you’re finished, send an email with your feedback to Feedback@DomAndJane.com (Please put the word “Lexie” somewhere in the subject line.)
 November 5, 2007
We often hear people say "Kids don't read or write anymore." Well, what if they are, but you just don't count it as writing?
I'm a proponent of almost any avenue that leads a young person to creative expression. If you click here you'll be able to see my article entitled "So, is that really writing?"
 October 19, 2007
The reading rates for kids continue to drop, and many people are surprised that Harry Potter has not had more of a positve effect. Weren't kids supposed to suddenly be reading everything in sight? Well, they're not.
Wanna know what I think? It has nothing to do with the books themselves. I've written an article about this, and you can read all about it by clicking here.
Join Club Galahad !!
More and more people are joining Club Galahad. The third book in the award-winning book series is set to debut (see more below), and I would personally LOVE it if you would sign up to be a member of Club Galahad. It means you'll get a cool newsletter sent each month, with great info, links to some fantastic sites, suggestions of other great books to read, monthly trivia contests for prizes... and it doesn't cost you a thing.
It only takes about 30 seconds to sign up. Just click here to get started, and thank you! See you in November at The Tattered Cover.
October 12, 2007
 When I heard he was advocating that kids be paid to go to school, I simply shook my head. When I found out he was a former teacher, I grew irritated. But when I found out he is now a county commissioner (and might actually have some real influence), I decided to speak up. Here's the story...
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