Subject: Weekend Update: February 14-21
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 15:47:12 -0500

It's late Wednesday which means that I've had a very difficult week,
starting a week ago when my son was brought home in the back seat of a
police cruiser.  He had an accident with his bicycle on his paper
route.  He was coming downhill around a corner and *luckily* the car
was stopped when he plowed into it.  He tried to stop but there was
sand or ice that gave him no traction.  His handle bar was knocked off
kilter and the driver was more concerned about Andrew than the four
scratches he put in her aging car.  He and Joy were recounting all of
this matter-of-factly or with a little chagrine when I got home from
work because we don't want to consider how very lucky he really was;
how lucky *we* really were.  I pulled the handle bar back into
position and life goes on.

Meanwhile, we reacquainted ourselves with the masochism that is new
car buying.  In our search, Boch Mitsubishi of Norwood assured us that
they had the car I wanted at the lowest price.  We went to dinner with
Eric and Linda Magnuson on Thursday night for Valentine's Day; a
tradition of ours for some years now.  Eric was only too happy to take
us to the Automile; being someone who really loves to look at cars.
Well, Boch pulled a bait-n-switch on me; the car I specified was not
on the lot but they could bring it later for an added cost of $250 or
I could take one from the lot.  We left.

On Friday, I called Manchester Mitsubishi, went over the exact car
specifications I wanted.  The dealer had to bring it up from the cape.
Ooops.  Forgot a detail or it was missed: was that an automatic or a
standard shift?  Standard?  We can't take that car because Joy doesn't
drive a stick shift.  Well, they were not happy and I was sorry for
the trouble I had caused. They kept my deposit until today when I told
them that I bought the car elsewhere, hoping that I would come and
deal with them.  But only Nashua had the car with *all* of the
specifications I wanted.  That night I talked with Nashua Mistubishi
and couldn't agree on a price for the car I test drove and knew I
wanted.  I went to bed depressed.

The next morning, they called back with a compromise offer; still more
than the promised Boch vehicle, more than the misunderstood Manchester
vehicle, more than I wanted to pay for a car, but I wanted the pain to
STOP!  By that afternoon, I had bought a new car and drove it home.
Ol' Lazarus remains in my driveway because we may repair it as a
summer car for Miranda and Jessica, if it is worth repairing.  That
brought its own set of issues because the car was not "swapped out"
for the new car, making the registration more of a hassle.  People ask
me how I like the car and much of the joy has been sucked out of it
because of the purchasing experience.  Despite my research, I did not
turn out to be the savvy buyer in the driver's seat I had hoped.  I
got $300 over invoice, which is probably a good deal, but because I
cannot trust car dealers, I'll never know whether I should have felt
good about spending more than I wanted.  My children's reaction to
Dad's new sports car was very gratifying, however, and I hope to feel
that way about it soon.  I've attached a picture of it to this email.

Features include:
210-Watt Mitsubishi/Infinity® Premium AM/FM Stereo/Cassette with
4-Disc In-Dash CD Changer and Seven Speakers, Glass Diversity
Antenna, One-Touch Power Glass Sunroof, Black Leather Front Seating
Surfaces, Security Alarm System with Remote Keyless Entry and
Panic Feature, 12-Way (8-Way Power) Adjustable Driver's Seat, Rear
Window Wiper/Washer, Dual Front Side Air Bags,** Anti-Lock
Braking System (ABS), Traction Control (Requires Sportronic™),
Compass and Outside Temperature Display, 205 Horse-power V6 engine

But this is winter in New England and I need to invest in a car
vacuum.

On Monday, I took the Eclipse to ENC so Mandy and Jessie could drive
it a few blocks before I excluded them from the insurance I have to
pay for this car.  It was a good excuse to see them for a short time.
Afterward, we headed to Cape Cod to visit with Mom and Dad.  The back
seats are functional, not comfortable (in terms of space) but the
younguns didn't seem to mind too much.  We had a great visit and went
out to dinner with them.  Dad drove the car which he gave good marks
to in comparison to his own rocket Chevy Impala.  ;-)

On Tuesday, Rich and Wendy Gonzalez transferred custody of their three
foster children to their aunt.  Many of us will miss Kristen,
Stephanie, and Ashley O'Malley who have enjoyed the benefits of a kind
and loving home for the past two years.  It was a difficult transfer;
one that we felt (to a far lesser extent ourselves than the Gonzalez
family, of course).  We spent the evening with Rich and Wendy and
Thalia and Katia.  It is good to have them so close to home.

Mark