I haven't laughed as hard in weeks as when Frank realized that Lucy looks like David Archuleta.  We were eating dinner on the patio and she was just looking at us with sad eyes trying to weasel some food out of us and we just kept looking at her and laughing and then stopping and then looking at her and jeez, she just looks exactly like him.  OK, maybe you had to be there.

I always wanted one in black :)  It went on Craig's List this morning at 6am and I drove it home from Fife at 8pm (thanks, Frank!).  It's a 1994 1.8 L Miata MX-5 with 105k miles.  It's got new tires and wheels, a new soft top with a glass window, and the stereo isn't half bad.  

And summertime is just beginning!  Woohoo!  More photos

And the ever-important rationale: $4/gallon gas!

I've always had the bad habit of taking more napkins than I really need, especially if I'd have to walk a long way to get more.  I think this is a common practice, as evidenced by the piles of unused napkins on the tables in the cafeteria around 2pm.  My reasoning was, "Well, I'll leave the unused ones on the table maybe someone else will use them if they run out."  But deep down I know that most people would find that gross and they'll just be thrown away by the cleanup crew.  As Penny says, no matter how flat and untouched the little piles look, "Ew! Someone could have blown their nose on that!"

But no more!  In order to counteract my years of excess tree destruction, I am instituting The Napkin Pledge:

1. I now pledge to only use the unused napkins that I find abandoned on tables
2. If there are no clean abandoned napkins, I'll only take one at a time (well, 2 if burritos). 

I employ you to take the napkin pledge with me!

This time of year I really miss my 93 Miata (check it out on CarDomain).  Mine was red, but I always wanted black.  I went and drove one last week and it was so fun.  I might just get one and sell my bike. 

Evil free ice cream freezer at UW's Kirkland Business School campus:    

My sister called me at midnight last night from Austin.  "I've just been in the worst storm of my life!"  She said it sounded like rocks were falling on the roof - the kids were crying and running around like spooked horses and they huddled in the only room with no windows. All of the windows on the side of her house blew out and that was common for houses in her neighborhood, Tarrytown, which was the hardest hit. Check this out:

That's HAIL. 

This is her street:

Wow.  Truly once-in-a-lifetime.

http://www.590klbj.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=91326

http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/051508kvueseverewx3-cb.10366d871.html

I test drove a 240z on Saturday and I was reminded of the worse two qualities of my favorite two cars I used to own.  Like my 93 Miata, it's too small (and honestly it wasn't even as fun!) and like my 74 Bronco, it's too old and I don't want to have to live through that kind of headache again.

Then I realized what I should do is sell my Pathfinder and my motorcycle and get a daily driver car that was safe, yet fun to drive.  Something to celebrate my graduation next month.  A BMW.

Of course shopping for any major purchase has that sticker shock phase... at first you see the entry price and think, "Hell - I could just get a 2001 325 for $12k!" but then you start really researching and think, "Well, I don't want it to be too old or have too many miles on it or I'll have expensive repair headaches later," and then you are at double the price before you can blink.

So I've driven a few that were in the $12k range - a 325i that had automatic, sports, and manual modes (all of the photos on this page are the actual cars I drove).  It was kind of frustrating not having that THUNK you get when you really shift, and I was struck by how quiet it was.  I want a big throaty sound like the Flowmasters on my old Bronco.  God forbid please don't tell me I should get a Mustang!

Then I drove a 328ic and drove it really fast because I was by myself.  I was blown away by it's responsiveness but it still seemed... too refined.  Boring even.  I gave up on the whole notion of Beemers - maybe I need a totally different kind of car.

I ran into Pipes in the lobby of RedWest A (our second office) and he told me about his 540i - a V8 with a resonator. OK, that's sounding good!  And thank god for Craig's List - there was one for sale just down the street in building 26.  I drove it after work.  Again, very quiet, even with the aftermarket exhaust and the power was just ridiculous.  I barely tapped on the gas and I was going 50.  I floored it for a few seconds and was going 70 and it felt like I was only going half the speed at which it wanted to cruise.  That is just not scaled to reality.

Maybe I need another Miata.  Or a Jeep with Flowmasters.  Or a later model Z (280?) with Flowmasters.  Maybe I need to put Flowmasters on my Pathfinder.  I'm really starting to like the car I have.  And the price is right ;)

Ask me again tomorrow and I'll have another plan - I'm in full-on motor fever!

It's that time of year - I've got a bad itch to buy a car.  And not just any old car, a truly stunning classic car. Something with shiny chrome that zooms!

I've wanted a Z car (Datsun 240Z) for a long time but haven't seriously considered buying one until now - probably senioritis because I'm graduating (finally!) next month (speaking of which - I should be studying!).  For a "classic" car they seem pretty reasonable - a reliable Japanese sports car and a hatchback.  Hell, I could even put my dogs in the back!  And judging from the fact that Frank and I nearly froze tonight riding motorcycles back from Fall City tonight - in MAY - I would probably drive a Z car more than my motorcycle.  Plus, it would get way better gas mileage than my Pathfinder.  And I could get Flowmasters again! 

So why this fascination with Z cars?  When I was in high school I dated a guy (yes, I know!) who drove a copper 280Z just like this one.   And to say he "drove" it is being generous - he was an old school street racer - he even took the bumpers off to "make it faster".  He taught me all sorts of crazy things like, "It's safer to drive faster than other traffic because you have more options."  Ah, to be young and stupid.  I hope he's still alive.  Give me a shout out Kevin Ashworth if you've Googled yourself and found this.  Holla!

I'm not crazy about copper or the more modern bumpers on the later models, but I may just have to get a later model that has airbags and a T-top and put older bumpers on it.  These are the things I'll just have to find out as I research the variations.  And colors!  Red?  Black?  Silver?  Orange?  Copper?   Green?

Look at this one! http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/670734056.html

or this one!  http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/671866667.html OMG!

Brings up the age old question: Can you bring yourself to scrape up more money up front for a better car rather than trying to get away with buying a $3k car that will cost you $5k in the next 2 years...

First step: test drives!