Man Go

So last night I was playing Warhammer FRP with my regular group of hard-core D20 designers and editors (more about that later) when Bill offered me a mango. He and his wife had received some mangoes and wanted to share them. So I took a mango and brought it home to the Lovely Bride, thinking it would be a nice surprise for her.

And when I got home, our 14-year-old Saturn was missing from its place in the driveway. In its place was a brand new Honda Civic Hybrid that the Lovely Bride had purchased earlier that day.

And suddenly the mango didn't seem to be that important.

So, we have a new car. We've been actually shopping for the past few weeks, test-driving on the weekends. We are both the car salesman's dream and nightmare. We know what we want, and also know what the MSP is and what we're willing to pay for it. A number of dealerships have been adding a "what the market will bear" surcharge to the manufacturer's sale price, which blew the deal with Bellevue (that is - they think they can find stupider, wealthier people than us). We ended up down in Auburn, with a nice price, though the taxes still were a nasty ding (and while in previous years sales tax has been deductable, the Congress has passed on extending it to this year, hoping to make it a pretty bonus for some other bill they need to get passed - remember, all politics IS local). The vehicle itself, alternately known as "Stargate Atlantis" or "Puddlejumper", is an ocean blue. All it needs are lightning bolts on the side.

I'm proud of the Lovely Bride for keeping me up with the progress, getting my input, going on the test drives with me, and, most importantly, driving the deal home without me. Because I get to do the initial driving on the new car, since I don't jackrabbit start at the lights.

And she liked the mango. Which was appreciated as well.

More later,