marius

Catching up on cupping and if we had plenty of money. Loved all the stories shared. Wonder if inked gemini let her dad or mom do the cupping on her? It sounds soothing and rather fun too.

Baldur wrote in regards to housekeeper, "Having someone underfoot would be annoying unless they were like house elves, and never seen." That makes me smile! Would so love to have house elves, if they were nicely behaved and made me laugh. But, no pranks! Otherwise, I'm with Baldur on the having someone underfoot. Would annoy.

I'd like a home with a more private yard, about 10-20 acres in the country. What I want most though is a small cottage or cabin set apart from the main house. There would be one room for yoga, meditation, etc. Another room for my "stuff" which means a place to lay out all the projects I'm working on. It'd be a messy room, kind of the art-writing-sewing-whatever room. There'd have to be a small kitchen, semi-bath, and small bed or cot somewhere for naps. And, there would be great views from all, or most all, the windows. The main house would be modest and comfortable but would have a generous-sized kitchen that is easy for two people to move around in, and have room enough for dinner parties, etc. Would do my own gardening, but as Login said, might need help with projects that require "young man muscles." Would also need to find some charitable causes because one must share good fortune. If there was money left over after this, I'd travel more.

marius

In regards to solosater's comments about how rich people spend money, I've never understood many people on money issues, not just the rich.

My sister has a friend who inherited what must be a great deal of money. Everytime this woman visits, she goes shopping and buys things like T-shirts that barely have any decoration to distinguish them from the $5.99 Walmart T-shirts except the price, $100.00! Even if I had a million dollars, I'd never buy a T-shirt that costs that much!

On the other side of the spectrum, I've known people in less than stellar financial situations who always have expensive cars. Sometimes they suffer a great deal to have that expensive car. I don't understand it, but then my view of cars is limited to function, comfort and cost.

When I bought the first car, the question was "how many hours do I want to work to own a car?" Not many. All I needed was something to get me where I was going. You can probably see where this story is leading. The last car I bought was in 1997. That year Jay Leno made a joke about my make/model of car. It went something like this, "The new geo metros won first place for best mileage this year but if you notice, you never see anyone driving them. That's because they're too embarrassed to be seen in them!"

Everyone pokes fun at my car and you can laugh too when you see me pull up in my two-door geo-metro, but I can fill it with gas for $20 (used to be $14), mileage is great, repair costs are minimal, front wheel drive works better in snow than spouse's truck, and best of all, haven't had a car payment for twelve years! It's not that I'm thrifty, it's just that I value "play-around money." A cheaper car and no car payments means I can go on trips, eat out, go to a play, save a little, entertain friends at home and all because of the darling "clown car."

If the winds of fortune ever change, am sure I could give up the smurf car without too many tears and opt for something more solid and roomy ... maybe. But, first I'd have to get over the idea that paying anything more for a car than most people can earn in one year seems criminal.

marius

Now that I think about this, it seems my car attitudes must come from Dad. This is cracking me up as I had not realized this before. My Dad was a moderately successful business man and one very quirky person. One year he bought a new stationwagon and two weeks after purchase the engine had to be overhauled. Then he was driving on the highway and the gas tank fell out. Dad could have afforded to trade it in, but he would not give up on that car. It lasted a long time and finally had had so many repairs and mishaps that it was dubbed "the sewing machine." Not sure why that name, but Dad was an engineer. Eventually the car ignition went out and the only way to start the car was with a screw driver. Yep, it sat on the front seat and you'd use it instead of keys to start the car. (I was driving age by now, so yes, I used the screw driver too.) One night the car was stolen. It was reported in the paper that the car, valued at $200 belonged to my Dad, a local business man. My mother, who was all about appearances, was mortified that people would know her husband was driving such a cheap car. When the car was found, the only thing my Dad was worried about was if the thieves had stolen his screw driver. They hadn't.

polenta

interesting story marius.

lynnspotter

Loved the 'car talk'! I'm with you marius, if it will get me there & haul what I need to carry... It's fine!

Robindcr8l

Your stories are always so entertaining, Marius. And hilarious, of course!

I know what you mean about not understanding people who don't have much money spending it all on a car. I work with a girl who just allowed the bank to foreclose on her house rather than give up her quite new, loaded mustang. I was SHOCKED when I saw what she was driving!

Cars mean nothing to me, either. Just get me from point A to point B efficiently, please. Although, the one luxury I've learned to love on a car is automatic transmission. I just don't see the point in buying a car you have to shift manually, when you can buy one that can shift itself. Sometimes the frugal person in me prevails, and I have purchased a stick shift. I always end up with perpetual buyers remorse, and trading it in long before I would have if it had been automatic.

marius

See, there are other people who think about cars the way I do! (Except, when I drive a car without a stick shift, I feel rather lost, like ... what else is there to do in this car? Maybe stick shifts are for those who tend towards hyper-active?)

Robin, the story about the gal who let her house be foreclosed so she could keep her car ... that beats anything I've heard. Gee whiz! Is this person married, dating?

And now, conclusion to "the sewing machine." Dad says it was so named because "WHEN it was running" (versus when it was broken down) it ran, or hummed, like a sewing machine! Had forgotten that, and also Mom harrumphing around the house saying, "It runs like a sewing machine and that's why no one has been able to drive it for two weeks!"

Mom hoped the thief would drive that car to the ends of the earth so she'd never have to see it again. Poor Mom. Think we had that car another few years. And Dad was not happy after he got the car back because it took forever for the interior to stop smelling like men's Brut cologne! He said, "Not sure I'm happy with how they used my car, but at least they didn't put many miles on it!" Um ....

Dragon

LOL at Leno's joke about the Geo Metro. My boyfrien had one for years and he still misses it, he loved that car. Despite the fact that he is 6'7 and the Geo was tiny he fit like a glove in it. He has much more trouble finding new cars he can actually fit into. Forget about trucks, the biggest, highest most lifted and tricked out trucks are like a sardine can for him.

Dragon

I have a friend who was never big on cars but has no clue when it comes to finances. She once got finished telling me how she'd lost her job, hadto sell her car and move back in with her parents, then chimed in with 'I'm going to Thailand for 3 weeks!" When I asked her how she could afford that what with having no job and all she replied, 'Oh I've got a Visa'
My only thought was that her $2000 vacation was probably going to end up costing her $10,000 by the time she paid it off. She's the type who can always just barely manage to make the minimum monthly payments. In otherwords, Visa's ideal client.

marius

LOL Dragon at 6'7 boyfriend driving a geo! Wow! Seems strange that there are not trucks for tall men. Are there problems with regular cars too or just trucks?

Re your friend and her Visa Vacation: Yikes! When you said your friend is Visa's ideal client, you are right! And do you know what word credit card companies use to describe clients who pay off the balance each month? It's creepy. : )

Dragon

I know marius, they call those of us who pay down our bills deadbeats! The exact opposite of how I use that word but then they want us to owe.

I'm guessing my beau doesn't fit trucks is because they have become so popular that they've started making them to fit the average sized person and a lot of them don't have much ability to do as many seat adjustments as cars. As for cars, he drives a Saturn Astra hatchback and has no trouble there, he fits well in my Cobalt but there are many that just don't give him any headroom. Anything with a sunroof is awful and convertibles he has to actually put the roof down and look over the top of the windshield.

solosater

I like efficiency in a car and for me that means it gets me there without any fuss. I don't have to stop and top it off halfway there or let it cool down before I start off again.

It has to be able to haul stuff. I'm forever picking up lumber or bricks and such for my stepfather.

There must be 4 doors! I HATE the whole reaching behind the front seats to pack or unpack the back seat and getting in or out of the back seat from the front door is ridiculous! If there are four seats there must be four doors.

I'm tall at about six feet and I always wear my hair up on top of my head which adds a couple inches too so I have to have head space. I also have rather long legs so I have to have leg space too. I cannot sit in bucket seats! I can't get out of them for one and I have terrible pain after sitting in them for just a couple of hours. If I have to drive in a car with bucket seats, I have trouble because my legs go numb, it's just a bad angle for me.

I really love my stick shift, I feel in control with it where I feel out of control in an automatic. Automatic is nice on long days driving in the city. My current car, a Scion Xd, has a stick shift and cruise control (that still boggles my mind) so I don't feel like I'm missing anything in that department.

I've fallen in love with the "wagon" or the "hatchback". I've owned a VW Rabbit (or two or three), a VW Golf, a Scion Xa and now the Xd and have never been disappointed in the comfort or performance of my car. My girlfriends (mostly tiny pocket people) always seem to want a sporty car or a truck and they just do not understand my wagon addiction.

Most wagons/hatchbacks have more upright seats, along with better comfort I also have a better view of my surroundings while driving, I can actually see over most sedans and right through the front and back windshields of most trucks and SUVs. Most (if not all) wagons/hatchbacks have backseats that fold down nearly flat which is ideal for hauling supplies and for chauffeuring large dogs around. A small wagon/hatchback with a decent engine is great for getting out of traffic, it's small enough to get around other vehicles and being able to see so well makes finding the best path easier. Wagons/hatchbacks are cheaper to insure as they are considered family cars.

I've driven large trucks, tiny sports cars and luxury sedans and never been more satisfied than I am with my wagons. I cannot understand the fascination my friends have with those others.

As for the car payment, I spent years of my life with cars that were unreliable and needed costly repairs often enough that I am more than willing to have a monthly payment for a car I know is going to start and run every time I want to go somewhere. It's way easier to budget a known amount than to have to come up with money for parts and labor every couple of months. I wouldn't lose my home over it but there is something to be said for reliable transportation. I am way less stressed over the car note than I was over the "Will it run or not?" every single day and the "Can I afford to fix it if it doesn't?" and "If I put the money into it now how long before something else goes terribly awry?" I'll pay for the stress relief alone.

solosater

Dragon, even with my ponytail or topknot he's got at least five inches on me and when I was last looking for a car I found that no sedan or small pickup had sufficient room for my head so I imagine he has quite a time.

I was reading or listening to an interview with Charlize Theron after she did The Italian Job, I think, Where she had to drive the Mini Cooper. They had to actually relocate the seat to the rear so she could drive it. I thought wouldn't it be nice to be able to tailor your car to fit? My brother could likely do the work but with my OCD, I'd want the passenger seat done to match and that would completely eliminate the possibility of a back seat and I'd likely be full of bruises from hitting the door jamb (is it a jamb on a car?) so I just need a car that fits to begin with...

Dragon

Must agree with solosater on pretty much everything there. I like the look of a 2 door car but I couldn't make myself buy one, simple to inconvenient. Perhaps if there were no back seat but it's so true how uncomfortable it is to climb in and out of the back of a 2 door car and they just don't work for throwing the groceries in either.

I've also owned the old rattle-traps and worried constantly about when the next repair would be needed. I bought my first new car about 8 years ago when it became clear that the upkeep on my old car was costing nearly as much as car payments would be and a new car comes with a warrenty and roadside assistance. Seemed worth it too me. The last car I owned (after my beloved Cavalier got shmucked by a big truck) was a used Kia and everyday I owned that thing I hated it more. I was so happy to buy my current car.

marius

Absolute agreement here with solo and Dragon, except I don't mind two doors. The geo has a hatchback, back seat folds down, so I can haul stuff.

Like solo, I value reliability! Bought my car new, cash, and that is why no payments. Hoping this one will last another two years so next one can be cash too, but that probably won't happen. At any rate, the car must be new. Spouse insists I can get a good used car, but am not willing to take the risk on "iffy" vehicles.

One problem with the geo, which I do mind, is acceleration. Takes six years to get up to 55 mph and when pulling onto busy highway from an exit ramp, I must wait for a break in traffic: do not want someone slamming into me at 55 mph because I misjudged their stopping time. : )
And some drivers get irritated at my slow acceleration. Don't think they understand that some cars cannot go from zero to 55 mph in ten seconds! I don't let it bother me, but sure have gotten some nasty looks. Of course, that might happen even if I had great acceleration.

Driving manners are not a high priority with some Missourians. Would have to say that a great many do not understand the purpose of their left and right turn signal lights. Spouse and I say these folks have "SAD" - Signal Affective Disorder. We wish they'd get treatment for it as it really does help if one knows which direction a person is planning to go.

This makes me think of early dating. One day spouse was driving and some jerk cut in front of us in a most dangerous fashion. Spouse reacted with anger and the words just came out of my mouth, "Oh sweetie, don't be mad at him. He didn't mean to cut you off, it's just that if he doesn't get home quick he's going to poop in his pants."

At first spouse thought I *knew* the offender and wondered what his medical condition was. That cracked me up. I said, "No, I don't know the man but here's the thing, there is enough stuff to get angry about! I don't want to waste my anger on crazy drivers, so every time someone cuts me off, I just smile and think ... "oh, poop coming on."

Well, spouse loved that and being a Mr. Funny Guy, our humor about rude drivers has, um, reached some rediculous lows. And, before I shared this with spouse, I never knew there were so many horrid medical conditions that can cause rude driving! It keeps us laughing and that is always my preference. : ) (Hope this wasn't TMI for anyone.) giggle

maddyjean08

I couldn't care less about cars. Well, the seats have to move, they have to lay back, there has to be a hole behind the seats that leads to the trunk, and seat warmers. Oh, leather seats! I wouldn't mind a hot tub in the back, either!

Dragon

Ah marius, I had idea this Signal Affective Disorder exsisted, I think half the people in Red Deer suffer from it. I might call it Signal Defective Disorder though

My fella never had trouble getting up to speed in his Geo, it had a Turbo engine in it and the operator has a heavy foot. I never have trouble getting up to speed either but I attribute that to my own heavy foot and hatred of being stuck behind pokey's. The great many other Red Deerians on top of suffering SAD (or SDD) also suffer from Slowpokeitis. They seem to be incapable of getting up to the speed limit and will hover somewhere around 10 km's under it. These people definitly don't have to poop! (Perhaps they think I do though )

marius

LOL on SDD! Also, "slowpokeitis."

Wondering, since you have a lot of snow, how do folks react with the first snow? Here, they act like they've never seen snow before and have no clue that it calls for different driving techniques! The first snow in our town always means tons of wrecks ... every single year!

Dragon

Same here, we had our first real day of snow back at the beginning of Oct and we were averaging something like 3 accidents per minute for the province, it was ridiculous. That's nothing compared to when I lived in Vancouver. They rarely get snow in the city at all so when it does snow the city half shuts down, even for just an inch of snow. There seem to be 2 kinds of drivers there, the one's who thought that because they could drive in rain they knew how to drive in snow too, and the one who knew they couldn't drive in snow so they would either go extremely slow so as not to get into an accident or drive extremely fast so they could get home out of the snow quicker.
The thing that always amuses me about the change in seasons here in Alberta is how at the end of summer when the days start getting down to 5 or 10 degrees (Celcius of course) everyone moans about winter coming and gets out their parkas. At the end of winter when the days start getting up to 5 or 10 degrees everyone rejoices, puts on short sleeves and puts the top down on their convertable if they have one. Gets me every time (and yes, I'm right in there doing the same thing )

solosater

Three or four days ago it was 97 degrees here.

That's all I have to say about that.