The weekend happened. I was there for part of it.
Firstly, I went test driving on Saturday. That was kind of fun, and definitely an exercise in contrasts.
First, we went up to the Ford dealership to try out the Fiestas. I was wanting to try out a manual transmission on them--they're cheaper and I actually miss driving a stick-shift--but they only had the Fiestas in the automatic.
I did test out one of the in the hatchback: it was quite peppy and fun, but it felt oddly claustrophobic, as the ceiling of the car was very low. Keep in mind that I'm 5'4": I have no idea how someone who is actually tall would feel in there!
I also drove a used, late model Focus, which was a manual, and which the saleman in the Ford dealership seemed very keen to sell me. Yes, it had all the bells and whistles, but it was also obviously designed for a much taller person than I am: every time I shifted, my elbow knocked against the center compartment/arm rest until I actually pulled it open. Just...no. Also, I didn't like the look of the car as much. The shift on it was pretty shallow, which would take a little getting used to.
We then headed to the Honda dealership for the Fit. They had a manual in one of their used cars (I think it was a 2009), and since the design on them hasn't changed at all, we took it for a spin.
I REALLY liked that one. While the Fit has a similar weight/size to the Fiesta, it felt much roomier on the inside. The ceiling was several inches higher, and I didn't have that closed in feeling. The gear change was damned smooth, as well, it had nice pick-up and no problem with the hill we went up, and the suspension was great. The visibility in it was also much better than in the Fiesta. I was very happy with it.
I was also, frankly, happier with the sales person, which may have been just style, but I can't help thinking also had to do with gender, since the salesperson at the Honda dealership was a woman. The guy at Ford wasn't BAD, per se: I've certainly met more "slick" car salesmen when I've been out with others, but he kept pushing that Focus even after I thought it was pretty clear I wasn't interested, and when I asked him about the price difference between two models, he said it was "negligible." When I pressed him on "Okay, what I consider 'negligible' may be different from what you do, so could you give me an idea of what 'negligible' is?," his response was, "Oh, you know, not much." Yeah, didn't ask for a definition, asked for a number, thanks. He also, of course, bad talked the other cars I mentioned I was looking at, which, okay, you're wanting to sell YOUR car, which I get, but...
The woman, on the other hand, while a bit pedantic when we first got in the car, pointing out where everything was, she also was much more relaxed and wasn't pushing for much of anything. She also took me on a MUCH more helpful test drive route, taking me up one of the steeper hills in the area, taking me down the highway a bit, into an area with cobblestones to show off the suspension, etc. She also, weirdly, complimented me on my driving of a manual transmission, and proceeded to mention that she'd gone on test drives with people where she felt like she was putting her life into other hands.
We didn't get to the Toyota dealership, but I kind of feel like I've made my decision. I really do feel like the Fit is the best *ahem* fit for me. I sent Lisa (the sales person) an email with more detail on what it is I'm looking for and the price I'm looking to pay to see what she can get in the area or to see if ordering one might be in order.
* Watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer finally. It was definitely a better made movie than the first, but I just need to embrace the fact that I don't LIKE any of these people. Also, rubbery guys (I am looking at Plastic Man, as well as Mr. Fantastic) FREAK ME THE FREAK OUT! Also also, there's something that I find inherently ridiculous in the premise of FF and it's universe that I just can't take seriously. I say this as someone who is, in general, a comic book fan and a fan of all sorts of movies that defy logic and explanation, but I just can't do it. Maybe it's the fact that the makers can't decide if I'm supposed to take it seriously or not, so I can't make that distinction, which just hurts my head.
* Doctor Who is back. *squee*
* That River was able to regenerate before she was stuck in River form makes her being Rory and Amy's daughter make more sense to me. I was willing to say, "Hey, she's also got a bit of TARDIS/Timelord in there, too, so who knows," but I kept getting caught-up in how the two whitest people in Great Britain could produce her.
* This episode had more great lines than your average episode, and your average episode has a few. I'd be shocked if there aren't already "Putting Hitler in the cupboard" t-shirts up on Cafe Press. ("You will experience a tingling sensation before death." Okay.)
* The search for an AI interface of someone the Doctor liked/had not fucked up was hilarious and heartbreaking. "Guilt. GUILT. OH GOD, GUILT!!!!!" Yes.
* I love the idea of a group of people going through time and picking up people right before they die and "giving them Hell" instead of trying to stop them from doing the evil thing. I think partly because it's not trying to "fix" history, which never works out (and presumably this was a learned thing), but also because it fits in with the human need for retribution of some kind. An atheistic final judgement. (I'd like to know how long they "give them Hell," if it depends on the magnitude of crime, is there some kind of jury/panel which decides on these things, can they keep people alive and in agony indefinitely, etc. Yes, I want to know about the SOCIETY of these people.)
* I love seeing Rory be awesome. I love seeing Rory be a NURSE and responding that way as someone trained to react in an emergency. I don't think we got to see Martha actually being a doctor nearly as much.
* There's so many questions that still need answers, but that was an awesome way to bring back the show after the break.
* Watched The Losers, which was surprisingly enjoyable. JDM should always wear a rumpled white dress shirt, though honestly I think that about a lot of guys. I was told there's also a fandom for this movie/comic, and I NEED THAT; Jensen must be laid.
In movie news:
* Today's crop of remakes in the shoot: The Gambler (that would be the 1974 James Caan film, not the Kenny Rogers-starring-in-a-movie-about-a-Kenny-Rogers-song-made-for-TV-movie), Romancing the Stone, and Flatliners.
* Rec of the Day:
Inception: High Hopes--"Arthur at seventeen is not the same as Arthur at twenty-nine; Eames is one of the few people to have met Arthur at both ages. Some days, Arthur thinks that if he could go back in time and smack some sense into his teenage self, he would." A bit of a different backstory for Arthur and Eames.
Originally posted at Dreamwidth. There are currently
DW comments. Please comment at Dreamwidth if possible.
First, we went up to the Ford dealership to try out the Fiestas. I was wanting to try out a manual transmission on them--they're cheaper and I actually miss driving a stick-shift--but they only had the Fiestas in the automatic.
I did test out one of the in the hatchback: it was quite peppy and fun, but it felt oddly claustrophobic, as the ceiling of the car was very low. Keep in mind that I'm 5'4": I have no idea how someone who is actually tall would feel in there!
I also drove a used, late model Focus, which was a manual, and which the saleman in the Ford dealership seemed very keen to sell me. Yes, it had all the bells and whistles, but it was also obviously designed for a much taller person than I am: every time I shifted, my elbow knocked against the center compartment/arm rest until I actually pulled it open. Just...no. Also, I didn't like the look of the car as much. The shift on it was pretty shallow, which would take a little getting used to.
We then headed to the Honda dealership for the Fit. They had a manual in one of their used cars (I think it was a 2009), and since the design on them hasn't changed at all, we took it for a spin.
I REALLY liked that one. While the Fit has a similar weight/size to the Fiesta, it felt much roomier on the inside. The ceiling was several inches higher, and I didn't have that closed in feeling. The gear change was damned smooth, as well, it had nice pick-up and no problem with the hill we went up, and the suspension was great. The visibility in it was also much better than in the Fiesta. I was very happy with it.
I was also, frankly, happier with the sales person, which may have been just style, but I can't help thinking also had to do with gender, since the salesperson at the Honda dealership was a woman. The guy at Ford wasn't BAD, per se: I've certainly met more "slick" car salesmen when I've been out with others, but he kept pushing that Focus even after I thought it was pretty clear I wasn't interested, and when I asked him about the price difference between two models, he said it was "negligible." When I pressed him on "Okay, what I consider 'negligible' may be different from what you do, so could you give me an idea of what 'negligible' is?," his response was, "Oh, you know, not much." Yeah, didn't ask for a definition, asked for a number, thanks. He also, of course, bad talked the other cars I mentioned I was looking at, which, okay, you're wanting to sell YOUR car, which I get, but...
The woman, on the other hand, while a bit pedantic when we first got in the car, pointing out where everything was, she also was much more relaxed and wasn't pushing for much of anything. She also took me on a MUCH more helpful test drive route, taking me up one of the steeper hills in the area, taking me down the highway a bit, into an area with cobblestones to show off the suspension, etc. She also, weirdly, complimented me on my driving of a manual transmission, and proceeded to mention that she'd gone on test drives with people where she felt like she was putting her life into other hands.
We didn't get to the Toyota dealership, but I kind of feel like I've made my decision. I really do feel like the Fit is the best *ahem* fit for me. I sent Lisa (the sales person) an email with more detail on what it is I'm looking for and the price I'm looking to pay to see what she can get in the area or to see if ordering one might be in order.
* Watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer finally. It was definitely a better made movie than the first, but I just need to embrace the fact that I don't LIKE any of these people. Also, rubbery guys (I am looking at Plastic Man, as well as Mr. Fantastic) FREAK ME THE FREAK OUT! Also also, there's something that I find inherently ridiculous in the premise of FF and it's universe that I just can't take seriously. I say this as someone who is, in general, a comic book fan and a fan of all sorts of movies that defy logic and explanation, but I just can't do it. Maybe it's the fact that the makers can't decide if I'm supposed to take it seriously or not, so I can't make that distinction, which just hurts my head.
* Doctor Who is back. *squee*
* That River was able to regenerate before she was stuck in River form makes her being Rory and Amy's daughter make more sense to me. I was willing to say, "Hey, she's also got a bit of TARDIS/Timelord in there, too, so who knows," but I kept getting caught-up in how the two whitest people in Great Britain could produce her.
* This episode had more great lines than your average episode, and your average episode has a few. I'd be shocked if there aren't already "Putting Hitler in the cupboard" t-shirts up on Cafe Press. ("You will experience a tingling sensation before death." Okay.)
* The search for an AI interface of someone the Doctor liked/had not fucked up was hilarious and heartbreaking. "Guilt. GUILT. OH GOD, GUILT!!!!!" Yes.
* I love the idea of a group of people going through time and picking up people right before they die and "giving them Hell" instead of trying to stop them from doing the evil thing. I think partly because it's not trying to "fix" history, which never works out (and presumably this was a learned thing), but also because it fits in with the human need for retribution of some kind. An atheistic final judgement. (I'd like to know how long they "give them Hell," if it depends on the magnitude of crime, is there some kind of jury/panel which decides on these things, can they keep people alive and in agony indefinitely, etc. Yes, I want to know about the SOCIETY of these people.)
* I love seeing Rory be awesome. I love seeing Rory be a NURSE and responding that way as someone trained to react in an emergency. I don't think we got to see Martha actually being a doctor nearly as much.
* There's so many questions that still need answers, but that was an awesome way to bring back the show after the break.
* Watched The Losers, which was surprisingly enjoyable. JDM should always wear a rumpled white dress shirt, though honestly I think that about a lot of guys. I was told there's also a fandom for this movie/comic, and I NEED THAT; Jensen must be laid.
In movie news:
* Today's crop of remakes in the shoot: The Gambler (that would be the 1974 James Caan film, not the Kenny Rogers-starring-in-a-movie-about-a-Kenny-Rogers-song-made-for-TV-movie), Romancing the Stone, and Flatliners.
* Rec of the Day:
Inception: High Hopes--"Arthur at seventeen is not the same as Arthur at twenty-nine; Eames is one of the few people to have met Arthur at both ages. Some days, Arthur thinks that if he could go back in time and smack some sense into his teenage self, he would." A bit of a different backstory for Arthur and Eames.
Originally posted at Dreamwidth. There are currently
DW comments. Please comment at Dreamwidth if possible.