I'm going to buy another car

As in addition to the one you have?

CJ called and asked if he could stay for the whole belt test. I'm glad he is really taking to being a red belt.

Instead of going outside, I have been cleaning. The kitchen is 80% done...taking a break for lunch.

why the awkward balancing act crazy cat?

My sister-in-law has a fat yellow tabby (female) who does this kind of thing. She will try to balance on the backs of chairs, even the rocking ones. It's a thing.

then there is the restless walk around on the lap thing that the skinny tomcat does. He will take ten minutes if you let him, trying to find the best spot by stepping all over the person.

As in addition to the one you have?

Possibly. I am evaluating options. The Forester is paid off and is dead cheap for insurance. I am thinking of keeping it as my dog/camping/outdoor car and getting a small, chirpy, efficient, cute commuting car. I am weighing pros and cons and am not yet decided. But it's fun window-shopping and test driving and all.

ETA: I am increasingly finding the Forester to be unbearable for commuting because of cab noise and truck chassis. My bones are too old for it on a regular basis. So I will either trade in and upgrade to a 2010 Outback (or Forester IF they've solved the cabin noise problem) OR I will get a Mini Cooper, Lexus IS 250 or a Prius and keep the Forester. I've read that the Minis are not comfortable and are very noisy, but I still want to test drive one because they're so frakking adorable.

That's the nearest one, javachik. Conveniently near the Apple store, etc., I'm already going to.

That's the nearest one, javachik. Conveniently near the Apple store, etc., I'm already going to.

Very!

Oooh, Mini. My SIL commutes some distance in her Mini, and I have heard no complaints from her. Err, not that I've asked.

Hmm, I was going to take the dog for a walk, but it's raining. I suspect that means I need to write this afternoon.

It's raining? How did I not notice??

Yeah, it's possible that the Forester is SO bad (noise wise) that the Mini would be an upgrade such that I'd be content. That's why I need to test drive a few.

I haven't thought of anything other than Subarus for so long that it's kind of exciting to think of other possibilites. If my Forester didn't cost only $25 a month in insurance, I'd never consider having two cars. But who knows.

I saw a "stretch" Mini this afternoon. It looked really bizarre.

I am exhausted from doing yard work. In a good way, but boy I am not used to working that hard for that long!

I'm having happy mental pictures of Javachick in a chirpy mini.

So I cranked some music and hit the kitchen - made potato-cauliflower soup for tomorrow, prepped a red cabbage, dried cranberry and apple slaw for this week, and threw a chicken, olive, onion, mushroom, tomato, and pasta casserole in the oven. DH made bread. Tomorrow I'm going to try to do the fennel and celery salad from the NYT also. The kitchen smells like celery, onions, and butter. Nom.

Whoo! I am tired. Talking for five hours straight will do that for ya'.

We woke up late this morning, so nearly missed the intern, but we have seen his 'rents and seen him safely off to Indiana. And we have the van back, whoo, although it smells like boy and is very dirty and needs an oil change. It did in fact have a full tank of gas, which I am crediting to the parents.

And then we got to our seminar and it was reasonably well attended and went very well. But it was very fatiguing! Now I would like to lie very still for a while.