Hello Kitty =)

Yesterday, Joan wrote this about her little girl growing up and away from some of the favorite toys and movies she had.


As a mom, I know we'd like to have our baby girls for ever, but we also look forward to their becoming young women.



I am at a point with Caitlin where I still treat her like a kid at times, but know I have to let her take flight on her own. She has been looking for an apartment and wants to live by herself. The mom in me wants her to live here, with me, but the reality is she will move out soon. After work today, she and I are looking at a couple places she is interested in moving to. *sigh*

Today, Joan posted a picture of her daughter, as much as she is growing up in Joan's eyes, I looked at her 10 year old daughter and thought of Caitlin at ten. Then it hit me ...

I saw her daughters youthful bedding and smiled ... somethings take longer to relinquish during the transition from girl to young woman. I took this after Caitlin left for work:

Conversation Hearts, Spicy

*Dana as Scary
*Ann as Sporty
*Pearl as Posh
*Caitlin as Baby
*Sadie as Ginger




Me: Caitlin, did you hear the Spice Girls are going to do a reunion tour?

Cait: Cool, I want to see them.

Me: Look at this picture I found from when you saw them at the Palace.

Cait: OMG, look at us. Don't post that on your blog.

Me: Why? Remember you girls did a pantomime to "Wanna Be" as the Spice Girls for the school talent show in 5th grade?

Cait: I was "Baby Spice" ~ Do we still have that outfit?

Me: I doubt it, why? You'd wear that dress again?

Cait: No, but I do love those blue high tops!
*she said with a smirk*

Little Tripod

On Mothers Day, Quinn had a mishap. I feel so bad for the little guy. He got spooked and in jumping to get away, he landed on his hind leg wrong.

I took him to the vet right away and the x-rays showed no breaks or fractures. He gave Quinn an anti-inflammatory drug to take for a couple weeks, but it hasn't helped him.

So now, seven weeks later, I find out he has a cruciate ligament rupture. Yeah, that's a knee joint rupture. It was explained to me it's like a hinge that no longer works, loose and sprung. If it was going to heal on its own,it would show signs of correction by now.

Our only other option is surgery. Quinn is like one of my kids, but with a quote of $1,500-$3,000 to do the surgery, I think I am going to have to help him learn how to compensate by using three legs. It was explained the downside to that is, the other rear leg will be taking on all the weight, unevenly distributed, and eventually that knee will also give out.

He is ten and was already showing signs of arthritis before this happened. He still is a spunky, playful character and forgets he can't do some of the things he used to do. Jumping up onto the couch isn't an option anymore, so I have to remember to take the cushions off before I leave the house and make him a step ramp to get up there. Before I let him out in the yard, I make sure no rabbits or squirrels are there because he wants to chase them. When he starts to run, he immediately comes to a halt and I just know his little brain is thinking "Sh*t, I forgot about the leg".

I took this today, when I picked him up from the groomer:

Alfred E. Neuman Update

An update from my post of May 15th ... things aren't as bad when you don't worry and take each day as it comes. Yeah, I know, easier said than done.





Print: Sun Dance By Alfred Gockel

(The following are explained in the above post link)

1) I have a showing today at 2PM. Older couple, living in apartment because they sold their house already. *Fingers crossed, prayer said*

2) Handled that here, really liking the G6 ... especially at the gas pump.

3) Sales are picking up, doors are still open, keeping a positive attitude, hoping for the best.

4) Skip that, not worth the worry *smirk*

5) Thank God, no trips to the doctor, nothing more than a case of poison ivy I am currently nursing.

Best part, diet update .... I have lost a total of 24 pounds, and still sticking to it! I'd like to lose 15 more, but 10 would make me a happy camper. For now, I'll just think in terms of 5 pounds at a time.

Huh?

Sunshine, at and the pursuit of happiness, had an interesting meme posted yesterday. The challenge is to list 10 favorite things using the letter assigned to you. Her "C" fav's made it look easy enough ... until she sent me the letter "H". I admit, I had to think about it, but here goes.


Hendricks ~ One my all time favorite but I do enjoy many different genre's of music. I remember when Bryan was in high school, he downloaded Jimi's version of "Along the Watchtower" and had me listen to this "cool song" he found on Kazaa.


Hamburger ~ Medium well, bleu cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion on a thin bun.

Home plate ~ Best view in Comerica Park is sitting just left of home plate about 8 rows back ... Go TIGERS!

Harold & Maude ~ Great classic movie. I used to try to imitate the sound Maude would make between her teeth when trying to get Harold's attention at the funeral home. I think the trick is not to have all of them.

Hoodies ~ Sweatshirt type in the winter, light cotton in the spring and fall. It's like taking a favorite robe with you when you go out.

Humor ~ The older I get, the more I appreciate humor. Especially laughing at myself. It eases the pain of having those "Kodak moments". I prefer a good comedy over a drama. The only thing I do not find funny is clowns, they creep me out.

Holiday ~ I think my favorite isn't the standard holiday, but a vacation ... like the Europeans say "I'm going on holiday" ... now I could have those kind of holidays anytime.

Hot Air Balloon Ride ~ Yes, I had one and it was awesome. It was early evening, just before sunset in the summer. I was proposed to, presented with a ring, and landed to a champagne toast. The marriage didn't last, but the memory of the ride did!

Homer ~ "Marge, don't discourage the boy, weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel". Homer is a character that both men and women laugh at, albeit for different reasons.

Haiku ~ Hey this was easy
Looking for a new player
Who wants to be next?

Just leave a comment asking for a letter and I will send you one ... I promise not to send X orZ

Forgiveness

*6/25 8PM
I received more emails on this post than comments on my day to day posts. Your email's were all very kind and I appreciate the time taken to write them. I think now, I will just leave the photo here and delete the words , they're already in my heart.

W36 L36

I was in Royal Oak last night. I have posted before that the downtown area, which consists of a couple blocks, is always hopping with people in the summertime. As I sat outside people watching, I began to notice something.

A men vs woman fashion statement.



Men will wear jeans with their size plastered right out there, to be read by anyone, no matter how big or small it is.


And, they had no problem when I took their picture, never even asked me why I was taking it.


Can you imagine a woman ever wearing her clothing size tag to be seen by all?

I know some women that cut the tag off on the inside ... even when no one will see it.

*sigh* ... the mental freedom of some things that men have.

Lochinvar

Lochinvar, sounds German.

Cuisine?
Fine china?
Couture designer?

None of the above.




It's my fricken hot water tank. I hope it isn't broken ... as in I need a new one.
I just went to take a shower ... cold, Cold, COLD water is all that comes out.

I go downstairs, hug the tank, (hey, I'll take one anyway I can get one) ... and just like my love life ... cold!


I have never lived in one house long enough to deal with things that break. I Googled for the owners manual to see how to light it. (crossing fingers that's all it is)

So far I have done what they said, now I have to wait five minutes for any gas in the line to clear. Then I turn this knob, while holding down that button, as I look into the door at the pilot to see if it lights, then keep holding gas button down for one minute. If that doesn't work, I am screwed. Call a repair man on a weekend, after normal hours $$ I bet it would be cheaper to get a hotel room for the weekend.

OK, so I am going to try this. Give me some time, if I don't post back my results, assume I blew the roof off the house.

** Update:
I thought I was doing all of the above, but the "hold down the button part" wasn't working for me. Huh? Hold it down? It doesn't even go down. I called a repair place.

The very first thing she said is, "After hour service fee is $140, just to come out and $45 for every 15 minutes there after, plus parts and if needed a new tank."

Whew, glad she got that out of the way ... no thanks, a hotel sounds better.

Call to place #2

"We are closed, if you want a service repair man to come out the fees are $150 plus $33 every half hour after ... blah-blah-blah"

OK, so I think I will wait until Monday.

No, I really want to take a shower ... try one more place.

#3 ... starts with his rates. Obviously they are all in agreement on these after hour rates. I told him forget it, I will throw on some perfume and open a bottle of wine. He laughed ... good, I like him now.

He offered to walk me through a few things over the phone. When we got to the "hold the button down" again, and I told him the option isn't there.

He said, "OK, get a lighter".

*ding*ding*ding* we have a winner ... it worked.

My tank is probably the original one when this house was built 11 years ago, so now I am sure it will need replacing very soon.

I usually go to church on Saturday, but since it's too late now, I will assume this is God's way of telling me to just watch the Tigers game and go to church tomorrow morning. I'm going to take that advise.

Mexico 1973 ~ The "Magic Bus"

Jen at Get In the Car, along with a couple of her girlfriends, recently packed up the kids and headed to Mexico for a vacation. Sounds like she had a great time, and her posts brought back memories of my time spent there. After I left a comment of disbelief that they would drive there, I realized it has been 34 years since I lived there. I am sure many things have changed, one being the safety of driving around so freely. Jen suggested I share a story. I have so many, and some crazy ones that have surfaced in the past few days since she jogged my memory.

I was 18, just graduated from high school and lived in middle class burbs of Detroit. I was a "hippie" type chick ... loved the look, but thankfully had definite hygiene addictions. I met Bob, at the Aorta, just before my senior year was over. He was 21, a pot smoking, vegetarian, anti-anyone over 30 hippie, raised by a nice Catholic very well to do family, father being a top executive at Ford.

We decided to go to Mexico as soon as I graduated. I think the farthest I had ever traveled was up north on "vacation" when I was little ... about 200 miles away. And so we were going. I bought hiking boots, a back pack, got a passport and we literally stuck out our thumbs on I-75 in Royal Oak, MI ... headed to Mexico!

Like I said I have tons of stories, and maybe I will pepper the months ahead with them, but for now, I will tell one that was funny ... but maybe you had to be there. * buzzed *

We were in Santa Cruz, on the beach. Anytime we came to a town, any American or Canadian, or English speaking person for that matter, became your best buddy in less than fifteen minutes.

As we sat on the beach, a VW van pulled up. Yea, all painted with peace signs, flowers, tie-dyed curtains, beads, the whole hippie thing. They got out and it was two couples. Lets just call them the Mama's and Papa's ... same look, singers, guitars, free spirits ... you get the picture. We all sat there watching dolphins swim by, talking about where we have been so far and our adventures, playing frisbee, and I recall some sharing of the mota. The Mama's showed me how to tear apart a pair of my jeans and sew the two inner seams together up the front and the outer seams up the back so I too, could have a long blue jean skirt like they were wearing.

After the sunset, Bob and I grabbed our gear and headed to a local family's piece of property to hang out hammocks to sleep for the night. *That's another story, renting trees for hanging hammocks was a must or you would be robbed and attacked by banditos unless you were paying a local to watch over you*

The next morning, Bob and I were going to head out, so we got up early, packed up our gear, then decided to go say good-by.

We headed to the beach and there we saw it. The van. The VW hand painted, right out of Haight-Ashbury hippie van. In the ocean. Water, almost up to the windows. We started yelling to them and they opened the door .... kinda.

The night before, after we left them, they all crashed, (probably with a little more mota) never giving a thought to the fact that they pulled in at low tide and were rocked asleep throughout the night with the high tide. Giving a whole new meaning to high tide.

Conversation Hearts: Why Does She Need a Chiropractor?

As Caitlin was going out the door tonight, she quickly decided to change her purse to something smaller. She dumped her purse on the floor, picked out what she wanted to put in the smaller one and left. As I am yelling at her to pick up her mess before she leaves, (which, by the way, the last syllable was muffled out by the click of the front door) I looked closer at what she left behind. Shall we look?

Bathing suit, flip flops, tanning oil, free tanning coupon, nail protectors (those little pink thingys),Victoria Secret sale catalogue, Chi (hair product), flat iron, brush, comb, hair clip, Pamprin, nail polish, cell phone charger, head band, half empty bottle of water, hoop earrings, disposable camera, Hanae Mori spray perfume and lotion, wide band watch, Hello Kitty wallet ( license was gone, whew she took it), Bed Head pallet, 2 mascaras, 2 lipsticks, 2 liners, 3 eye shadows, makeup brush.

I decided to share what was in my purse:



Wallet
Sunglasses
Dental Floss
Pen
Lipstick
Brush




*Taken with cell phone camera, kinda blurry*

Make Your Photo a Mosaic

The original of Caitlin.




The Mosaic.


Click to enlarge to see all the photos that make this.






Have fun, go make your own: Image Mosaic Generator

Yesterday, Father's Day

The church I attend, Kensington, has something to offer everyone. Young, old, single, married, divorced, etc. You get the picture.


Our series has been on family, and of course this weekend's service would focus on Dad's. The church holds the services in the auditorium because of the huge attendance. The chapel is use for week day services, weddings, smaller gatherings.

After watching the beginning of the Father's Day Service, I sat there thinking, how do I even describe this? The fun that the Dad's and Son's had putting this together?

This is in the auditorium, and note, the bald man is a founding Minister, he's also seen with the blond "head banger" wig on ... and he is the Chaplin for The Detroit Lions. * No jokes about how The Lions are forever losing, lol, prayer hasn't help them win but has made a team of better Christian players*

Once you get past the opening (but quite enjoyable) number, the fun begins:

"The Dirt On Dad"

As I looked around, young and old, were enjoying this fun tribute to Dad's. The service continued with explanation of God's intention for Dad's role in a family.

Stuff

Bryan had an MIR on his ankle last night ... 9:30 PM
Results on Monday.
*Note to self, glad I'm not an X-Ray technician, late nights!

Caitlin recruited me to "exercise" with her again tomorrow morning. She just can't say no to helping her older client.
*Glad she did, feels good to help others.

A "Virtual Tour" company will be out Monday to film my house. Add the link to my For Sale flier, and hope it sells!
*No charge in exchange for them to use it for their advertising.

Yard work, laundry, and grocery shopping today. Not the best itinerary for Saturday, my day off.
*Best time though, to pull the weeds out of my brain.

The President Wore Crocs!

(click to enlarge)

Crocs ... Blech!

Black anklets ... Yuck!

Socks with any type sandal ... Ewwww!

Presidential Seal on socks ... Arrogant!




G Dub-ya ... In need of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"

It Doesn't Matter if You are For or Against the War...

Yesterday, when I read Kevin Charnas post ... when I looked at the photo ... (the article about the photo is on daddytypes) ... when I watched the video he posted ... (yes, watch it, and if you have already seen it, watch it again) ... I was reminded of this, that I saved from YouTube last year.



No, I don't want to hear if you are for or against the war we are in, because what matters now is that we support our troops.

Edit Noted: After I read this at Lori's site, This Just In, I thought I would forward the link to you. Please read it. Lori has a son Brian, that is serving in Iraq for us. Thank you Brian.

Verlander Pitches A No Hitter!

Tigers 4 ~ Brewers ZERO

Justin Verlander, 24 years old, made history at Comerica Park last night. His no hitter pitching was against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The last Tiger to pitch a no hitter at home was Virgil Trucks, in 1952 at Briggs Stadium, later to be named Tiger Stadium.

Tiger Jack Morris pitched a no hitter in 1984 against the Chicago White Sox, an away game, at Comiskey Park.

My friend Debbie, called at the last minute. Her coworker Bill, gave her two tickets in the private membership, Champions Club ... indeed an even sweeter deal. Better than a suite ... perfect viewing, a wonderful dinner and dessert buffet, huge bar, indoor and outdoor seating. After the game, we went to the gift shop and we both had to snap up Verlander T-Shirts to wear to work today.

I'm so glad I was there, thank you Debbie and Bill.

Conversation Hearts, My New Cell Phone

In keeping with my Verizon loyalty, I renewed my contract. I was able to get an upgrade on my phone, so I picked out a new one.

It has the BIG font option for my blindness, 2 pixel camera, V-Cast so I can download music and videos. Right, like I am going to watch a video on my phone screen. I am sure once I get it all figured out, I will find that it slices, dices, repels stains and will stay wrinkle free.

Cait: Ooohh, you got a new phone.

Me: Don't mess with it.

Cait: I can download a new ringtone for you.

Me: Don't mess with it.

Cait: You can store music on this.

Me: Don't mess with it.

Cait: How about a movie?

Me: Don't mess with it.

Cait: Did you try the camera?

Me: Don't mess with it.



The next time I opened the phone, I had new wallpaper ... Caitlin.



Her only problem is, she didn't erase her outtakes.

Last of the "Teens"

Caitlin turned 19 ... her last year to be a teenager.
She and I went out to dinner on her actual birthday during the week.



Yesterday her dad and brother, and grandparents came over for cake and ice cream to celebrate with her.

I can't believe how fast the time goes. Everyone warns you of that when you are wiping snot, kissing boo-boo's and marking off the days until they are independent. I am proud of both my kids and enjoy seeing them finding their way into the world.

If I could though, I would wish to spend 48 hours with them at 5 and 8 years old ... just to see them as little kids again.


Bryan is doing better, Wednesday we will find out if he needs surgery or not.

Paris: Real Skank of Genius

My local radio station, WDVD 96.3 (yes the same station I won a Dooney and Bourke purse with a thousand bucks in it) has been playing this Paris parody all week.

Since I am a big fan of the Real Men of Genius commercials, I found this to be hilarious!

Paris, Real Skank of Genius


That's "hot".

Diet Update (only 'cuz it's working)

I forgot that I was going to be accountable to this blog once a month when I started my diet.


It's been about seven weeks now. For the most part, I am still doing the Weight Watchers diet. Counting points and drinking a lot of water. It really is easy to follow, and as far as cheating, I would say my cheating would be that I am not eating all the diet requires. I don't have the time, nor do I want to make it, for any elaborate cooking so I pretty much stick to salads and weight watcher frozen meals. They are either not that bad, or my taste buds have gone dormant. Who cares, it's working.

I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 18 pounds. I was down 16 pounds two weeks ago and just stopped losing. I know that happens, so I still stuck to the diet, but switched up some of the things I was eating. This morning I was surprised to see I had lost the additional two. Makes it easier to keep going.

Actually, I don't feel like I am dieting, it just seems to be a good eating regiment I am in now. I make sure I eat in between meals fruits, vegi's, almonds or fiber bars, and try not to go to the point where I feel hunger. I think I used to sabotage myself before, by waiting until I was hungry, then eating more than I should.

Next attempt: Adhere to a consistent exercise program.

Nice Call Sherlock!

Bryan saw an orthopedic surgeon today. Now his leg is in a cast for a week to get the swelling down, then an MRI next week to see if the torn ligaments need surgery (pins, ouch) or if they can heal on their own.

And that was the good (?) part of the day.




Enter our trusty store cop-wanna-be's:



I went to Meijer's, against my better judgment. I HATE that store and can honestly say if I go there 3 times a year that is probably an exaggeration. It is the closest store to Bryan's and I wanted to get him a couple freezer ice packs and some snacks.

Meijer's is a one stop shop ... groceries, clothes, appliances, pharmacy, photo studio, hair salon, bank, you want it, it's probably there ... an all in one kind of place. They are in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. Yes, I had to look that up because I try to close my eyes and ears to any information about them.

I won't go into detail on my opinion of the store and the typical "Meijer" shopper because I am afraid I cannot be politically correct. Same goes for their fine employees.

So, I get the ice packs, some munchies and Gatorade and decided to go look at DVD's. I picked out a movie and headed to the check out. My items are paid for, bagged and I am on my way. So I though.

When I passed through the doors the security buzzers went off. We have all been in stores where they go off. Some people keep walking. Some stop with a look of " wha-aat? I paid for this". Most customers ignore it thinking there was just a security tag left on an item.

Not this time.

As I stopped and turned around a security guard yelled "STOP THAT WOMAN." I wasn't expecting that and embarrassed said, "I stopped as soon as I heard the buzz". Just then a woman security guard came up and escorted me by the elbow away from the door. I pulled back and said, "I am sure it's a DVD I just bought that has triggered the alarm." Mr. Stop That Woman loudly says "You'd better have a receipt for that."

I had two bags in my hands and my purse looped through my arm. I held out both bags and said, "You'll have to hold the bags so I can get the receipt out of my purse". The woman security guard took her place behind me, so I don't bolt I suppose, as Mr. Stop That Woman reluctantly took my bags. I handed him the receipt and he went down each item and looked into the bags. SHOCK, I actually had paid for everything in the bags.

Not even an apology, a thank you, or an acknowledgment that the cashier forgot to deactivate the security strip. Just an, "OK lady, you can go now".

I can go now? How kind of them. I hesitated, wanting to say what was on my mind, but then again I realized the level of people I was dealing with, so I just left ... never to return again.

If I had the guts, I would have said on my way out ... "suck-kah you didn't check my purse."

On his own, with Mom a la Carte

It doesn't matter how old your kids are, when they get sick or hurt, they still call Mom.




Bryan, the handsome guy in the photo to the right, works construction. He called me yesterday, about 9:30 AM.

Bryan : Hi Mom, what time are you taking your lunch hour?
Me: (knowing he never calls during work) I can take it anytime, what's up?

Bryan: Well do you think you could get some ice packs and Ibuprofen and bring it to my house?
Me: Sure ... what happen?

Bryan: Nothing, I fell about 8 feet from scaffolding and I think my ankle is sprained, or torn ligaments, but not broken.
Me: (*Accck*Panic*Worry*) Okay Bryan, I'll be there in 15 minutes.

When I got there and saw he had grown a cankle, I knew we were going to end up in ER.

One four letter word screaming woman in the next examining room, two rounds of x-rays, one crying (understandable) kid getting stitches across the hall, two injections of pain meds, a plaster splint, one guy (chest pains) calling a broker about how much money an account lost, crutches and a script for Vicodin and after six hours in ER,we were on our way.

Tomorrow, we go see an orthopedic surgeon to see if the tears will heal on their own or if they need surgical prompting. The upside ... private practice, sound proof walls, undivided attention.

Results: A Minute In The Life

Here is the link to the galleries of the photographs that have been submitted so far. It appears to have been a successful and great idea. The photos are from all over the world. Very well done.

http://www.aminuteinthelife.com/

A Minute In The Life

I decided the A Minute In The Life project from yesterday could be approached a couple different ways. Some may have planned or posed a photo. I decided to go about my day as usual and at the 2:00 PM designated time, snap a picture. Where ever I was, what ever I was doing.

I was headed to Walgreen's Drug Store and while driving, I watched the clock. At 2:00 I was on Livernois Road, in Rochester Hills, Michigan, heading north. Still driving, going about 45mph, I was able to take these three shots before 2:01PM. I submitted the house.

Today ... 2:00 PM

I received an e-mail from Lori at This Just In about a photography project. It's called A Minute In The Life. Check this link for the details.



The simple, yet potentially awesome idea is for everyone, as many possible throughout the world, take a picture, of anything, June 2, 2007 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Then, e-mail your photo to aminuteinthelife(at)gmail(dot)com and he will be posting them. (Hummm, I see a future book publishing here.)

I think the amazing thing is that this project will have been promoted throughout the web, probably by the majority being bloggers.

I don't have a clue what I am going to take a photo of, but I will post mine here later.

Take a photo and join in.

Sales Men vs Women

As I was saying, I have to turn in my ($80.00 a week in gas) wheels by June 10th, which is next Sunday which really means by June 8th, next Friday.

For the past 10 years I have leased Ford Explorers ... the fatties, XLT's. I had no clue what I was going to lease next, but I knew I wanted something that would run on ignorant people, because that's seems to be the only abundant thing I have run into lately. I guess it's not an option.

I hate car shopping, hence the end of lease rollovers for the last 5 I've had. I tried to call around during the day to get some information so I could narrow my search down. My plan was to go after work and not come home until I decided on something, anything. Sales people do not want to talk on the phone. The spiders want to get you into their web in hopes of consuming you on the spot. They don't realize they are talking to a praying mantis here.

So I get nowhere on the phone with the exception of one saleswoman. That's right a woman gave me a complete out-the-door price on one of the models I was thinking about.

Just before I left work, the salesman that I planned on meeting called to tell me NOT to come, they were so busy with end of the month deliveries he would not have time to spend demoing and talking with me.

Well, at least he called, saved me the time of going to deal with someone who is quite obviously an asshole. Who. In sales. In Michigan. In AUTOMOBILES. Tells a potential customer not to come?

Now my friend Debbie is quite the opposite of me. I know if she had the means, she'd out do Jay Leno as far as owning warehouses full of cars. Thank God she came with me last night to look at my options.

Despite being uninvited to the one dealership, I went anyway. I'd show him. I won't mention his name and get a different salesperson and when the deal was made, I'd hunt him down and put it in his face. Sounded like a good plan until the "next available salesman" that was paged appeared before Debbie and me. He acted like I was imposing. The reality was, I wondered if he had ever heard of Crest Whitestrips. Did he know dry cleaners could iron shirts if you lacked the ability? Debbie was trying to avoid dropage of the booger hanging out of his nostril. At this point, I just wanted out ... I looked at one car and asked him to write the price down. I think it would have been kinder to ask him to cut off his legs.

On to the next dealership. This is the one where the saleswoman quoted me an out-the-door price over the phone. She got a demo ready for us, went for a ride and sat down to talk pricing. After deciding on which car, she entered everything into the computer and I thought OK, here comes the catch. Well what do you know? The price she gave over the phone, was right on the penny. Gee, a person of her word. No slight of hand, no add-ons, no bait and switch, no gimmicks to get me there. It was what she said.

I signed her papers and will pick it up tomorrow. When the lease is up, she'll be the first person I will talk to about the next one.

Oh yea, this is what I got ... it's going to be a big change from an SUV, but it's going to be more change in my pocket !

2007 Pontiac G6 ~ Black