Yesterday I looked at a few more cars. I think it was a lot more productive than Wednesday was, but I still haven’t decided for sure what I’m going to get. See, I’m torn. I don’t really want a car. I’d be happy to spend the summer getting around on my trike. But I’ve got to go up and visit my mom once in a while, and that’s far enough that it needs a car, so I’ve gotta get something.
I’m not getting the El Camino I looked at. I discovered that I’m too tall to be comfortable behind the wheel in there. I fit, but just barely, and I wouldn’t be comfortable on long drives. So scratch that one.
Meanwhile, I keep getting helpful suggestions from friends. I appreciate them, but I’m starting to feel like I’m drowning in information. At this point, I just want to give someone a fistful of money and have a car I won’t hate that can carry tailgating supplies and haul my trike to the shop or someplace I want to ride. I can’t realistically get a new car at the moment, so I’m looking used. Well, I could probably wrangle the money together for a Chevy Malibu Maxx or Saturn L300 Wagon because of GM’s current customer loyalty program that would give me $3,000 off, but I don’t really want a front-wheel drive vehicle.
That leaves a Subaru Forester or a Chevy Blazer 2 door (4WD) that I’ve looked at (both used, both 2001 models, if I remember right). I’m informed that driving a Subaru will mean I’m a lesbian. The Blazer is taller than I want, but would probably be more useful, and that’s the direction I’m leaning right now. It’s definitely got room for me and my crap, and will fit into my garage.
I need to decide soon. I’d like to be able to get up to see mom this weekend, which means pulling the trigger on a car today, or tomorrow at the latest. And then I can start figuring out what to do with my busted Camaro. Do I just junk it and be done? Or do I try and find someone who’ll work with me to slowly rebuild the body so I’ll have it as a fun car when I don’t want to be driving a truck? There’s a certain amount of sense to that plan, especially if I get the Blazer (less if I get the Forester), but it also means more money and time invested. I just don’t know. At least I don’t have to make that decision today.
- Did you know there’s Pending Draft Legislation Targeted for Spring 2005 that the Bush administration is pushing through Congress now? And the Army delays discharges for thousands of soldiers who are going to be deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan within the next ninety days and A Pentagon Plan to Sharply Cut G.I.’s in Germany, which seems like a lot better way of dealing with any shortfall in the number of troops, but I can’t see how either putting in the draft or making people who are already in stay in longer is going to help recruitment any. Meanwhile, the article Soldiers and Their Families Have Mixed Feelings on Stop-Loss Re-Upping Orders explains that’s a policy that’s actually been in place for a while in some units (notably, those already stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan), and the Pentagon is just making it service-wide now, rather than a unit-by-unit policy. If nothing else, it sounds like the Pentagon policy wasn’t communicated very well. [press-patch and nyt]
- On a lighter note, this set of Dating Tips From the Animal Kingdom from MSN are mildly useful, but I think I like Belle’s more. The latter is not work-safe, mostly because blogspot doesn’t do indivitual posts, so you’ll get more than just the tips. [instapundit]
- Eldon Brown is practicing The Thermochemical Joy of Cooking, bringing science into the kitchen. It’s interesting stuff, and there are some new techniques I’m looking at as I read On Food and Cooking ISBN:0684843285. It’s not a speedy read, since there’s a lot of background on ingredients, but I’m hoping it’ll be worth it. [wired]
- Man, if you think I’m grumpy sometimes, you should check out Ask Peeves. It’s an advice column run by someone in high choler. Amusing as hell, too. [doc]