"I have been but little in," said Ninian hastily...

Tree 1, Next door's car 0

First shot at clearing the walks of the night. Doubtless many more to come over the weekend...

Max!

Well, he *is* blue...

I am now the proud owner of a 2009 Toyota Matrix S-type. I test-drove the Element, and I was sorely tempted by it. But, truth be told, it's much hugerer than I need, I'm not going to need the 4WD nearly as much as I would like to think, and the mileage issue would make me lie awake at night thinking I was a bad global citizen.

So I broke the news to Mr Ali, who was very nice about it. He got in touch with the people at the Carmax new Toyota dealership, and I drove at breakneck speed through the rain to get from Dulles to Laurel in just about an hour in order to effect the deal. They were just about to close, but I pled with them and they relented and stayed open long enough to sell me the car.

I *really* like Max, who is the first new car I've had since Chris and I bought the Black Douglas, our Honda Accord wagon, back in the early 1990s. I'm up off the deck more than in the Prizm, so I don't have to shoehorn myself downwards to get in and I don't have everyones' headlights in my eyes at night. He can actually accelerate without complaining, and all too easily goes well over 70 mph :-)

Nothing can be done without blood sacrifice, however, and as I handed over the registration of the old car I found it was covered with blood--I had managed to cut the ball of my thumb on the metal of the coat hangers carrying my old suits that I had removed from Harper's backseat (I keep meaning to donate them to someplace that helps homeless people prepare for job interviews). If anyone ever needs to track me, both my DNA and my thumbprint are on that paper now...

So exciting having electric everything (mirrors, windows). It has a sunroof and (joy of joys) a rear windscreen wiper, as well as all sorts of hideyholes and funky gadgets. Just as I was arriving home, I noticed the one thing it doesn't have--ashtrays! Ah, world, how you have changed...

Well, they passed their emissions tests. Neta says that's the only test she imagines she'll be passing today (she had exams, which she says she failed--knowing her, that means she got an A- or a B+ instead of an A+).

Of course, mine passed because I spent $300 on getting a fuel sensor replaced and a semi-major maintenance. But that meant I got to lounge about home most of the day, since there's a decent shop only a mile and a half from the house (I just walked home and cycle dover to collect the car when they were done). I did some sorting of my DBA armies and checked to see what units I'm going to need to rebase/add/etc. for the newer editions of the army lists. And I sorted the Germans I got recently for Flames of War into foam transport trays that will protect them a little more securely than the ones they came in.

I did *not* get tot the post office and mail Pony and the Historian the goodies I've been meaning to; sorry guys, just a bit longer.

Busby loved having someone here, though. He got lots and lots and lots of petting.