Seeking Name for New Car

Yesterday, with the help of Rosen Honda, I purchased a 2010 Honda Insight hybrid in a dark dove grey color. I got a great deal and am already getting 12 mpg more than I did with the Eggplant.

Ah, the Eggplant. Farewell and good riddance, o Eggplant!

The new car needs a name. My first car was named NED. I have also had the Rollerskate as well as the aforementioned Eggplant. So, I am soliciting name suggestions.

What I know about the car thus far: when I sit in it, it seems like it is masculine, except for its horn, which is decidedly soprano. It doesn't seem to have any personality quirks. It is a dark grew color that sparkles in the sun. It is very futuristic looking.

Suggestions anyone?

Such Excitement!!!

Today was a day of great excitement. It began with a tire blowout.

Now, I knew my tires were on the way out and had stopped in yesterday to price them and get them ordered. But we figured I would be good until today, when I would take the car in. Well, on the way, boom! The really bad one went. Ah joy ah fun. Luckily, my insurance covers towing, so off to the tire shop we went and I now have four shiny new tires.

I decided to work at home this afternoon so that the water meter guy, who was supposed to come yesterday but didn't, could come and see why my inner and outer water meters were not registering the same. Turns out I am being overly cautious. They only charge by the thousand gallon usage, and I was worried about a difference of 350 gallons. Either way, he said it was good that I had called and that if I don't see the thousands column turn over on both the inner and the outer at the same time, I will need to get a new meter. Which is $118.



But the real excitement was the weather. We had tremendously exciting weather. Wind, rain, hail, possible tornado. With more arriving sometime this evening. I came home and had two lilac trees snapped, a huge limb off my giant maple, and there is another large branch from the neighbor's willow balancing nimbly on the power lines behind my house. So I called ComEd, and once they get done dealing with all the lines that are actually down and sparking (of which there were many in the area including at a high school), they will be out here removing the branch from my power lines.

All and all, I really didn't have much damage at my place.... mostly mess. I was a tiny bit sad about the lilacs but they broke in a place that opened up a lot of son to the far back of the lot, which may change my ideas for what to plant that there.

My garden seems have survived pretty well. Lots of maple pods and leaves on it, which I will have to remove by hand as I can't rake yet as my seeds aren't all out. But the seeds are a popping. My peas, lettuce, radishes, and shallots are already up. I suspect most everything else, if the weather stays warm, will be up in the next week. I am about to plant my peppers and tomatoes, although I am very sad about my tomato plants from Burpee, many of which were damaged in shipping or are incredibly tiny. Makes me wonder how they will do this year and I might have to go and buy a couple extra just to be sure I get some maters this year. Of course, I am also a firm believer that you can never have too many maters! I will do a post on the garden and its creation, with pictures, soon! I promise.

Today's Episode, in Which Heather Reflects on the State of the World


It has been an interesting week.

I am still picking up glass from my broken window, but the high spot of that situation is that at least the snow is melting enough so that I can actually find the pieces.

I ordered seeds and the first batch was shipped this morning. I ordered seeds from six different companies, and apparently one order didn't make it through or something, so now I am deciding if I want to reorder or say screw it to eggplants, carrots, snow peas, and a few other herb/floral type items. I might say screw it and just see what the greenhouse has in May. Now comes the fun part - ripping off nearly half the sod on my lawn in order to till and then plant. If only the snow would go away so that I could take a good stab at it while the ground is still very wet and easier to break up with a shovel.

Gas when I went home last night was $3.13 a gallon. This morning? $3.45.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhaha hahahahahahahahaha hahahahah ha and ha.

Yeah right. If it wouldn't ruin my credit, I would be tempted to call the bank and say, "Please take the eggplant back. Thank you." A monthly Metra pass and a membership in ZipCar, however inconvinient, would be a heck of a lot cheaper than car payment, gas, and insurance.

Speaking of credit, my insurance situation came to a head yesterday as the hospital started to play nasty. Just to refresh your memory, in December I had to have an MRI and an echo because my doc thought I might have had a stroke. She faxed a bunch of papers off and I schedule the appointment for the test at the hospital. A couple of weeks after my test, the insurance company paid for the echo but not the MRI, despite the fact that both tests were ordered on the same day. They say they required prior notification which they had not received.

Well, yesterday, the hospital decided to try and collect the whole amount from me. Threatened to go to collections with it. So I went and threw myself on the mercy of Human Resources and she called the insurance company. Turns out, it is the hospital's fault. Even if the doc didn;t send notification, the hospital should have. As a result, I have no liability. I pay nothing. Still the insurance company was going to do an "intervention" with the hospital to get them to leave me alone and also told me I should just check in with a neurologist without going through my family doctor, considering that I am still having symptoms.

Anyway, I am exhausted and crabby and ready for another vacation! Ha and ha

Today's Episode, in Which I Apologize to My Car for Previous Bad Behavior

Dear Car,

You've no doubt heard the unkind things I have said to you. I have spoken ill of your gas mileage to any and all who will listen. I have made not of your unfortunate color and huge ass end. I have given you an unfortunate nickname - The Eggplant - and spoken loudly in your hearing of my greatest desire for the return of my previous car, The Rollerskate. I have no been good about getting you your required maintenance, and, although I know that you need new tires and brakes, I have ignored this fact.

I am sorry. So very sorry.

I learned this last week - during our 18 inches of wind-driven snow, during the roads of glare ice, during the Great Salt Shortage of 2008 - why you exist. You handle incredibly well in snow. You got me to work and home again every day, without incident. You handled every pothole, of which there were many, with grace and agility. I can truly say that without you, I would have been lost this last week.

I promise I will get you in for at least an oil change within the next 30 days, O Eggplant of Harmonious Driving.

And to the asshole in the Chevy Suburban, who decide that 30 mph in a 40 mph zone on glare ice and with 18 inches of snow just wasn't fast enough and decided to pass me on the right, hit a slushy patch and went into the ditch, all I can say is: