Various Bits of Info and a Big Deal

First, the big deal.

We bought a new car!! Well, as near to new as we're ever likely to get: a 2007 Saturn Ion sedan with 4,000 miles on it. It had been used as a driver training car, so we got a very sweet deal on it from the dealership, including several new-car incentives. Here it is in all its midnight blue splendor:



Of course, now I am having the new-car freakouts. We have to park on the street and sometimes spaces are at a premium, but today I refused to park it directly in front of our building (too near to the curve--I've seen parked cars creamed by dopes who take the curve too fast and lose control). I drove it around to the next street over and parked it by the lake... then I got all squirrelly about a kid who was hanging around watching me maneuver into the space. I calmed myself by noting that I made a tight space in one, with only a few inches between my wheels and the curb, so he must have been noting my parallel parking expertise with awe. At least, I hope so! Yikes! This is a textbook case of attachment--just what the Buddha warned against. I'll tell ya, though--it's hard to shake it!

Now, to the other stuff.

One thing I failed to note on my entries about our Virginia trip was the delicious meal we had at Zynodoa, a new and quite upscale eatery on Beverly Street in Staunton. My brother John cooks there, and the chef treated us to a fabulous couple of starters made especially for us (although they might eventually make their way onto the menu... they SHOULD do, is all I can say). The first was a Mexican squash bisque garnished with dark chocolate shavings and truffle butter. Unbelievably tasty. This was followed by a lobster and bacon risotto that was to die for. Fare from the menu was wonderful as well. If you find yourself in the central Shenadoah Valley with lots of cash in your pocket, check it out! By the way, the name Zynodoa supposedly approximates the actual pronunciation of the region in the language of its original inhabitants. Thanks, John, for treating us to such a wonderful meal!

Alas! The Nordic Track Performance Tracker thingy has conked out again. The display is nice and strong, but the damned thing doesn't count any longer. So... I guess I'll just have to go by time and not distance or speed to track my workouts.

Since the weather has gotten a bit milder and cooler of late, I've been running more along the lakefront. The view, the fresh breeze, the stately homes and lush parks of the Evanston shore...it's a nice course. Except for the bicyclists who insist on riding on the sidewalk. Now, I'm not an ogre. Nor, contrary to the opinions of some ultra-theocons with whom I post on a message board or two, am I a stone cold bitch. I know that it's hazardous for cyclists to ride on the road proper around the Sheridan Road curve into Evanston. I don't mind sharing the sideWALK (note: as in pedestrians) with bike riders--as long as they understand that they are sharing the sideWALK as well. As long as they keep an eye out for walkers and runners. As long as they keep their speed relatively slow in the presence of walkers and runners. It doesn't seem too much to ask. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for that, though. Maybe all we pedestrians need to start wearing these shades with rearview mirrors to keep us safe(r). Okay. Screed over.

Finally, just for ewokgirl, a snapshot of Dinosaur Land's version of a giant ground sloth.



What a hunk-a-hunk of burnin' Pleistocene love!