Pig in a Poke

I'm loving the new-to-me Benz. It handles sooo well, and it likes to go fast; I have to monitor my speed closely, in order not to get a ticket. Logan says it wants to go fast 'cuz it misses the Autobahn. (Auto Bahn?) But the little car has developed a problem. Well, it probably had the problem when we got it, but we didn't notice it. It needs the radiator repaired. It overheats in the evenings, on the ride home. It may be that there is a leak or a crack; I don't know. It runs just fine in the morning, but come time to go home, it gets hot about 3/4 of the way home. Yesterday was the worst. It started steaming, so I immediately pulled over to the Walgreen's parking lot and called Logan, who came to my rescue, adding water & antifreeze/coolant with the engine running. It rode home perfectly after that, and did well this morning. Logan has it today, investigating getting it repaired, which sounds to cost the better part of $250.00, though Logan may be able to get some kind of crack sealer for aluminum and get the hole(s) to plug up enough to fix the problem. We shall see.

I hope that works, because I was hoping to buy a metal detector for the kids & me to use in our new hobby, treasure hunting. The severe drought here in N TX has the lakes and rivers so low that I thought the kids and I might have some luck going along the banks & shores, looking for lost coins & jewelry. I'm sure we'll find our share of bottle tops & nails, but it will be fun to try. And the main point (though the kids don't know this) is to get them outside, doing some exercise, and away from the computer, which causes lots of strife.

Top Drawer

I'm feeling very happy and excited today. Yesterday, after various finagling which included convincing Logan to put up the title to the decrepit Suburban as collateral, I obtained a loan in order to buy a car. Logan spied an '89 Mercedes E (6 valve, 3.0 L) for sale in a neighborhood near work. He describes it as "very cherry". The Blue Book value on it is $4,100.00, but the guy selling it was only asking $3,500.00. We took it for a spin, and Logan loved it. It is very sound mechanically, and very good appearance-wise as well. Logan bargained the seller down to $3,300.00. I pick it up tomorrow. Finally, a car in my name after being chauffeured by Logan for over a year. "A friend" and I, along with Herbie and Susan, are planning an excursion tomorrow, a drive about town in my new car, lunch at Red Lobster (which is very good for being a chain restaurant), and perhaps shopping or a movie.

The other item that has me excited is the prospect of a new job with a considerable jump in pay. A position opened up (Administrative Technical Support Specialist is the overblown title) in the Facilities Management department. It came open only because a lady died of cancer. The job entails keeping spreadsheets and writing reports on the construction projects on campus. I had a very promising interview yesterday, and my boss said he would give me a glowing recommendation despite the fact that he doesn't want to lose me.

Logan is happy since I gave him some money to fix the white van so that he can park it next to the curb in order to free up the driveway for my new car. Also, I paid for the title transfer on the Suburban since I needed the title to get the loan. And obstensibly, the Surburban was bought for me to drive back in 2002. But since it only gets 10 mpg, it no longer makes sense to drive it. We need to sell it once I pay off my loan and clear the title.

Gad, all the paperwork involved with getting vehicles bought, tagged, inspected, & etc. almost makes one want to ride a horse.

If I get the new job and I'm going to be driving a Mercedes, I'll sure feel like I'm in the top drawer. I may even let Logan drive it once in a while so I can sit in the back and say, "home, James!"