The Car Search is On!

3 March 2010
Today I woke up again at about 4:00 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep. I enjoyed a spectacular sunrise and had a great early-morning jog, but I’d still rather sleep until at least 7:00.
Today Amy and I spent the day shopping for a car. I’ve got two real requirements – manual transmission and cruise control. I’d prefer it not be red or yellow. It’s kind of funny how difficult it is to find a manual transmission in the USA – especially since all the salespeople we spoke with today talked about how quick they sell them and how hard they are to find these days. So why are the car lots packed full of automatics if people want to buy manuals? The mysteries of the car sales industry continue to baffle. We’re fairly well chuffed to have a Volkswagen Jetta in our sights (manual, cruise, etc.). I was really hoping for a slightly newer Mazda 3, but the one car the fit our budget, and that I really wanted to like despite its very red color, has a stupid wheel set on it with thin profile tires, making for a harsh and noisy ride as well as prospects of expensive and immediate tire replacement. Despite the ‘fun to drive’ factor, I cannot imagine driving 10 hours across Oklahoma and Kansas in that car.
We did manage to get a mobile phone up and running today. I had forgotten about the double-charge scheme that USA mobile phone industry has going – it costs money when you call out, and it costs both you and your caller money when people call you. Plus there’s actually no such thing as pay-as-you-go, because your minutes expire, forcing you to pay according to the company’s rates. So even when you don’t have a plan, you’re stuck having to pay $10 or so every 90 days no matter what. Urgh.
In terms of adjustment, It’s both amusing and annoying that Americans drive such gigantic vehicles on such wide roads, and still can’t seem to deal with it. I watched this lady today attempting to get out of a parking space in a Saab 9-3. She had the most unbelievably difficult time backing it up and turning it around in a space big enough for her car to do a complete 360 turn. And don’t even get me started on red lights and 4-way stop signs. I miss roundabouts a lot today.
On a happier note, I had a nice reunion with my Gretsch today. Oiled the fretboard and put on new strings, tweaked the bridge adjustment a little. Unfortunately too late to crank up the amp, but definitely looking forward to that tomorrow!
Andrew