Well, at least it's not 100 degrees anymore

I was hoping we'd get a bigger cold front than we did, then I remembered it IS August in Philadelphia, so I can't really expect it to get as cool as where my parents live in the Finger Lakes Region in NY. :) I went for a walk today and the humidity feels pretty low and I think the temp is in the high 80s. It's still a bit warmer than I'd like, but I'll definitely take it for August 5! I'm still looking forward to October.

I was very happy to see the other article about the internship programs for which I do PR in the Jewish Exponent on Thursday. It was a very well-written article and Jared was fantastic about checking all his facts and getting details. He actually called us to find out what types of flowers were planted -- great attention to detail!

I have made an appointment to see a car dealer at the end of this month. I just can't wait that many months before getting a car, I'll go crazy obsessing about it if I do, and take everyone else with me. My friend is going with me so it will be easier for me to walk away if I need to avoid being taken for a ride.

I've been working away at Lady of the Flag. Have I mentioned that her dress goes on forever? I think I'll be able to meet my 9/11 deadline, though. I'm on the bottom part of the dress well under the flag and right above the blue "Liberty" section. I'll get a picture this weekend after I stitch a bit more.

I'm almost done with "Gods and Generals." Jeff Shaara's writing isn't the same as his dad's, but it's pretty good. I like Jeef's "The Glorious Cause," also, but of course that's about the American Revolution. I'll probably start "The Last Full Measure" soon, but will read something else between the two. I'm also plodding along a bit on "Al Smith's America." It was written in the 1950s and I'm just not fond of the writing style, but I bought it for $2 at a used bookstore so it's not a big deal. I would like to finish it, though. I have learned a bit more about Al Smith than I knew, and that was the object. I also recently bought those little hardback classics at Barnes and Noble. They were on sale, buy 2 get 1 free, and are about $6 to begin with -- pretty good deal. I bought "The Brothers Karamazov," "Crime and Punishment" and "The Last of the Mohicans." If I like the way they handle, I'll buy more the next time they go on sale.

Decided what car I want to buy

After looking at some Consumer Reports information and pricing online, I've decided that I'm going to get either a new or used Scion Xa, which is the cute little hatchback. The base model comes with almost everything I really want, and I'll get the additional side airbags on a new model, and hopefully on a used model if available. I'd love to get one with a sunroof, but that's only if I get a really fantastic deal. I'll miss not having it, but it's not the end of the world -- I'd rather have the airbags and a CD player. I figure I'm also better with an automatic. I learned how to drive on a manual transmission, and Tim says I drive a manual better than he does :) but I'm hard on a clutch and around here I'd go crazy doing nothing but shifting and downshifting.

I don't plan on buying one for a few months so that I have time to save up a decent down payment, and I'll start by going to the place down the street a ways. I would love to get the dark red one, but it really depends on what type of deal I can get. The color really isn't that important, although I'd like to avoid another white car if I can. My big ol' Buick was white and it seemed that, even as big as it was, people didn't see it and ran into me often. I've heard that silver cars are also hard to see.

I feel really good about my decision. I have some ideas for a backup in case, for some reason, I can't get a Scion -- Honda Civics, some years of the Ford Focus, and the 2004 Dodge Neon are also rated pretty high. But I really want that little Scion. I miss driving a small car, and this one tested as pretty safe, especially with those side airbags.

The car is kaput

Took the car to the mechanic up the street and asked him to run a diagnostic on the engine and let me know how much it will be to fix and his opinion about it being worth fixing. He called me this afternoon and said that, while it was up to me, he didn't think it was worth it for me to put more money into this car and to use the money instead to put into a new car. I thought that would be the verdict, but I had to be sure. It says a lot for the mechanic, as he could have taken me for a lot of money to keep fixing this and that.

So, I'm looking into buying something in December, figuring that's when I can get good deals on 2006 cars and maybe cars from a previous year or two. In the meantime, I will save up some money for a better down payment. In the end, this is really a good thing because I probably should have done this a year ago. I just hated the idea of having car payments again. Oh well, this way I can get a smaller car that's easier to park and maneuver and is better on gas than my '95 Buick Regal. I can get a new Scion, Chevy Aveo, Toyota Yaris, or a Saturn for between $10k and $14k. If I'm going to get a car, I'm going to pay the extra to have a/c and a CD player. I'd love to also have a sunroof, but that's not as important. Those are the prices I'm seeing now. In December I think I'll get a better deal while they are trying to get the old cars off the lot. The only exception is the Yaris, as I think the first year of those is 2007, not sure. I'm not sure if I want to buy a car the first year it's made, as all the kinks aren't out. Well, I have a few months to think about it, save up some money, and then go to a few places and see what deals I can get.

It's a shame, though. I really liked that car, although in the past year she really went downhill. She was very comfortable and I loooooved the sunroof. I've had her longer than any other car, so it's hard to let go. It seems silly to get so attached to something inanimate, doesn't it? lol

My weigh-in is tomorrow morning. We'll see how I do. As of last week I was down another 2 pounds but I was eating like nuts this weekend. I'm probably not down any, but that's OK. Sometimes I surprise myself and lose a little when I don't think I will, and not when I think I should. I don't get it.