I've been meaning to post for a while, but haven't gotten around to it. Forgive me if this is not very well composed, but something is better than continued silence.
Item One....the Germans
Last week the Germans came to stay with us. Anna was in the architecture program, and they have since moved to Edinburgh. Anna and Armin were in town for a long weekend during their almost month long holiday. They had just come from Chicago, and had come back to Seattle for an engagement party for two other friends, Leigh and Ian. It was a weekend full of activities, most of which included a festive drink or two. I haven't had a night out like that since college. I can't remember the last time I was up past 5am.
Some time around 3 or 4 in the morning, Anna (left) and Angela decided that they should but boxes on their heads. It sounded like such a reasonable thing to do at the time...
Item Two...Painting
I have been in my new room for most of the month, but I have held of from actually unpacking much. Mainly because I've been busy, but also because it is in
desperate need of a couple coats of paint. You can see a dirt outline on the door where a mirror had hung. I'm planning on white for the ceiling and trim, and a grayish blue for the walls. I think it will look nice with the wood floors.
Item Three... a new car
My car has served me well, but it is just under 200,000 miles, and is dying by degrees. This week I started borrowing my friends car (Nils is a Saab 93) and although the stereo doesn't work, the
cd player does. It is a welcome relief from the
gaping hole in the dash that I've had since my stereo was stolen a couple years ago. It was also a relief when I was stuck in traffic today and was able to sing along with the
Decemberists without having to worry about the engine overheating. My car is at the point that it almost hits the
redline temperature in the course of my regular commute, even when I don't get stuck in traffic.
That leads to my current excitement, buying a car. I've heard the arguments against buying new, but the cars that I'm looking at don't seem to lose much value in the first couple years, to the point that it doesn't really make sense to get an older car without a
warranty if it only means I'm saving a 1500-2000 dollars. Having never had a new car, or a car with a
warranty, they are alluring. I've test driven several cars, and I think I've made up my mind. If the financing works out, I should have it within the next week or so.
It's a hot little number, the Scion TC. Its made by Toyota, as their younger, fresher, but also less expensive line. The guy at the dealership said that Toyota thinks of it as a way of seducing young car buyers into their first Toyota, with the hope that they will eventually buy minivans and crap like that.
They also have what they call pure pricing, the way it should be. The price they publish on the website is the price they have to sell for. If Toyota finds out that they sell for less or more, they can lose the franchise. Of course in theory that means they could publish a lower price than other Scion dealers, but everywhere I've looked they are exactly the same price. It makes the whole process much less stressful. If all goes well, I'll be zooming around in mine by the end of the weekend!
