I did it- I made the ultimate commitment.. I bought a car. And a pre-owned one at that!

It had to be done, the alternatives were not enticing. Alternative 1 - Move into Charlottetown, find a decnet apratment and decnet roommate(s) and be without wheels or Alternative 2 - Walk to work from Long Creek. It would be the end of the day before i even sat down at my desk.

So the stats: Its a super sporty, sleek silver ditty, better known as a Toyota Echo. He's 5 years old and still has a wee bit of spunk left in him. His name is Rin Tin Tin (or RT2), as I'vebeen informed that driving the Echo is a bit like driving a tin can. RT2 has four doors and comes equipped with, well, pretty much the bare essentials.Not to worry I will soon be spoiling my ne wbaby with winter tires and a decent CD/stereo system. Of course, CIBC is going to have to help me on this front, but I trust they will have no problemo forking over dough, what with my spotless financial record!


Anyway, I discovered that when buying a used vehicle you have to assess the owner/driver as much as you do the vehicle itself. I first went to look at a a little number called SIR - as in a 1999 Honda Civic SIR . This car had it all: VTech engine, rear loaded stereo system, sunroof, power everything and leather steering wheel. SIR also had noise issues - as in he made a lot of it and his Engine light was on and the trunk was a bit out of alignment. The owner- a guy about my age who seemed to be a bit less than upfront about the car's history. Basically I figure he drove that beaut of a car hard and fast and was now trying to load it off to someone else. I wans't biting, although i may have been drooling slightly at all the standard features on this little black number. Sigh.

So then I went to look at Rin Tin Tin and the owner was this wonderful, friendly woman who had put a bumper sticker on the back to the Echo that read 'Peace through Equality. Eliminate Racism and Sexism." And she had volunteered with the UN in Botswana for 3 years and now worked with Community Legal Aid. She & her husband were downgrading toone vehilce. I just got these great vibes from her and then the car ran smoothly and she gave me a breakdown of its history with no vagueness. So I am pretty sure I made a wise choice in buying from her.

Aside from that my only other big news is that my sister is visiting. Yesterday she spent a lot of time reading from my books '101 Things to Do Before You Die' and "Practical Jokes for Adults." Did I mention she was reading out loud? Lalala.... Anyways, it should be an enjoyable and busy week what with the numerous errands I have to run and the quality time I have to spend with my Sis and the rest of my family before I start a real job.

So - um yeah. I guess that's about it from the farm. No really it smells like a pig farm here in Long Creek. The field just behind us is owned by a farmer who has taken to spraying pig shite all over it during the past few days. WE can no longer enjoy the back deck or sunshine without inhaling what could be the most disgusting smell ever...