I did it!

Well, I did it! I put a deposit down on a new car! Toyota Matrix CUV base model. Cosmic blue in color.

It won't be in for a couple of weeks, so I still suffer in good old Bartholomew. Poor thing, he is almost 12 years old!

To be honest, I don't really know what I paid for it though. By the end of negotiation, we were talking deposit and monthly payment. Since I got both that I can afford, I am not going to worry to much about it, but I do think I got them to knock off about a $1000, which probably included the $400 recent grad incentive.

Oh, and I caved a bit on power. They were really pushing it, and keyless entry was just too cool! Again, I go back to getting what I could ultimately afford.

Zoom - Zoom - Zoom!

(Okay that is Mazda, but who cares!)

Book Meme

You are stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book would you be?
I must admit I have never read this book, but I know what the title refers too, and I think I know the basic premise based on Lemming's answer.

I thought about this long and hard. I decided to go with Little Women. It is one of my all time favorites. And it has just about everything for everybody. My second choice was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. That is my favorite HP book (thus far), mainly for the development between Harry and his Godfather. I am a sucker for family.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables. I originally fell in love with her in the Canadian mini-series, but then read several of the books. Windy Poplars is told through letters to Gilbert Blythe, her intended. I would imagine they were written to me at times.

What is the last book you bought?
The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone.
Fun new children's book series. Not quite Lemony Snickett, but fun, and quick reads too!

What are you currently reading?
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I am actually only "reading" it for the second time. I have listened to Jim Dale read it on tape two or three times, but I thought I would do the work myself this time.

Also Superfudge. Research believe it or not.

Just finished The Da Vinci Code and 3rd Degree (by James Patterson). Lots of fun.

Five books you would take to a deserted island
I always dread this question. So many to choose from and I have the same Harry Potter problem!
Not considering that and the fact that Lord of the Rings has been published in a single volume...

LOTR Single Volume
Little Women (even if I do have it memorized!)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (or maybe The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul)
HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I hate to copy, but I would have to go with Swiss Family Robinson too. I have a very old copy my grandmother gave me. You really can't read it anymore it is so fragile, but methinks I should get a cheap version and revisit the island!

And now I throw this out to Karen, Bob and Natalie. For those not bloggers, you can do your answer via comments to mine I suppose, or maybe an e-mail list? I don't know meme rules ...

To her Royal Highness

And while I am on the mountain top of the internet, I don't think I ever truly thanked the Queen of Florida for her lovely birthday gift of entertainment. And also to the Queen Mother for her gift of nourishment. Most appreciated!

Thank you, your Majesty, and say hello to the dolphins for me when you see them next!

:)

The Plea of a Heartless Boy

I am a horrible person! I should be flogged, drawn and quartered, tarred and feathered and rode out of town on a rail.

A very good friend of mine, known as the Wendy-lady, was more than kind enough to remember my birthday, and sent a thoughtful and interesting gift. I picked up said gift from the office just after my birthday, which happened to be Easter Sunday this year.

Now, I have been meaning to thank the Wendy-lady almost everyday since then for her thoughtfullness, but unfortunately, I have been habitually absentminded when I am home, and have failed to send off a missive to her thanking her for said gift.

Dear Wendy-lady, I am so sorry to have been so negligent! I am a sloven. There isn't much of an excuse. You are yet another victim of the blankness that covers my mind when I walk in the door. Yes I am tired, working hard and fast, but I am plenty clear headed while enduring the city traffic. Thanking you, dear Wendy-lady, is usually on my mind when I am winding my way homeward at the end of any given day of varying lengths. But do I plop myself down and do it when I get home? No! My mind just fades away, nothing gets done, including a very belated thank you.

So, here I stand, as it were, open to the world, expressing my thanks and begging forgiveness for being the heartless boy it is so easy to be.

Your very on Pan

Spring Cleaning

I am a horrible house keeper. That is one big thing I am VERY lazy about. Fortunately I am not a particularly messy person, but time eventually takes care of even that.

Today, I did a home chore! I was cited ... sited? ... no cited for having an untidy patio the other day ... week? ... no month. Today I finally took care of it. Of course, it now looks tons better.

You would think accomplishing a thing like this would make one want to keep up with it and tidy up other areas. Mentally it does, but I usually don't accomplish much in that end. Ultimately, I am still a lazy home body. A curse that must be lifted with a spell of will power. Ha ha ha ha ha!

But I am inspired to plant the freshly cleaned flower boxes.