Background Noise: My Valentine, martina mcbride (how does the ipod shuffle know?!)
Last website visited: Ford Escape 2005
Mood: sorry lady, i have ennui
Right now i want... not to be redundant, but....



Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner! Assuming my extended test drive this weekend (thank you Hertz) goes as well as i expect, the only thing i have left to decide is what color i want... and maybe if i am willing to get a sun roof.

I'm too tired to go into the psychology of why a car named "The Escape" is especially appealing to me at the moment, or why i have decided to buy something cheaper, more rugged, and certainly more friendly looking than that other car i was considering. Let's just say, shopping for a car is a lot like looking for a friend, a pet, or even someone to date: at the end of the day, you just have to have some kind of emotional connection to it. There has to be a spark, a moment of recognition, a brief instant where you can see yourself sometime in the future happy with your car or friend or pet or spouse. The decision becomes a non-issue when it's the right one; it just is. You've found your fit and it's like you're home. Or something like that.

Honestly, i wasn't expecting to like the Escape. But once it laid those big happy puppy-dog eyes on me, i was a goner. I knew everything was going to be ok; it really was that simple.

This car and i fit. I don't feel short when opening any of the doors or the hatch; getting in and out is effortless, and driving... is natural. I truly felt that i had been trained to drive this car my whole life... which isn't exactly a stretch. All the controls are where i expect them to be and just the right distance away -- i don't have to lean precariously out of my seat to change the radio station or adjust the air. The chairs are positioned so there is plenty of room between passenger and driver, but if i wanted to hold hands with my sweetie up front, my elbow and his would rest comfortably on the... what do you call that bin in the middle there? oh well, who knows.

wow, reading that i sure don't sound like the daughter of a mechanical engineer who has built cars all his life. not the point, though.

besides, barb loves this car: it's the one her parents are buying when they retire, and she's already driven it and feels comfortable. :) which is great, because you all know what that means... road trip to Mexico!! I obviously need an SUV so i can drive down all of those beaches and to those fabulous Myan ruins.

hmm... how many vacation days do i have saved up right now anyways?....

Oh! don't forget, tonight is Gilmore Girls 100th Episode otherwise known as Wedding Bell Blues. So start those tivos, people, this should be one wild ride.