The Big DumpTruck

It's that time, people. I have to make a big decision.

I've had the same license plate since I bought my first car. It's one of those old beat-up green ones. (I don't have two because you only needed one back when I got it. On my first car I had one of those airbrushed license plates of hot air balloons on the front. Sweeeeeeet!)

So after [does math on fingers] 21 years with the same license plate, I'm considering getting either one of those charity plates (Red Sox or the Trust one with the mill on it) or getting a vanity plate.

Because if I don't just cut the cord on my plate, I'm thinking I will have it for so long that I won't be able to get rid of it because it will be an antique. But is that a bad thing? Do people think "hey, that's an old plate" when they see an old style plate on the road?

I need your input, people. I have to renew my registration in March. Okay? Okay.

Labels: car, Red_Sox

Earlier this summer we promised Junior we would rent a convertible and just drive it around for the day, thus getting that need to feel the wind in our hair and bugs in our teeth right out of our systems.

So Sunday we went up to the Manchester Airport and rented this Mustang for the day - total price approx. $125. (If you decide to do this near you, the new rules say you have to either have return flight information or a utility bill in order to use a debit card. Just FYI.)

We took the car over to Maine for the day - it was a big chilly at first, especially driving on the highway, but by the time we got to Kittery it really started warming up. And because we have a new TomTom navigation system, we decided to just drive on any road that looked interesting, knowing that we'd be able to plug in Jane (we call our TomTom the same thing my brother-in-law calls his - Jane is the voice they use) and she'd get us home no matter how "lost" we were. It really makes road trips MUCH more interesting. In fact, we took a road we'd never been on (route 103) and stumbled upon Fort McClary, a fantastic, fabulous find. See my flickr photostream for some cool shots taken at the Fort.

Labels: car, fun, photos, weekend

I had the really pleasant "2 hours to drive what normally takes 40 minutes" commute this morning. People, if you can't drive in the snow, stay home and let the rest of us get to work. Of course, I have four new tires on my van, so I'm feeling a little better about driving in bad weather. Nothing like fresh treads to take your mind of hydroplaning. Not that I'm a risky driver; I most certainly am not. But there was nothing out on 117 today that should have caused it to back up the way it did. Someone is to blame, and when I find that person, I am going to give him/her SUCH an Indian burn!

Oh wait, is it politically incorrect to call it an Indian burn? I'm sorry. I meant no disrespect. Do tell, dear readers...what is the politically correct way to refer to an Indian burn?

So while I was stuck in the car for two hours, I had some kind of great idea for what to talk about today, but somehow I forgot what it was. I could make something up, but it wouldn't be the great thing that I thought of. You know, the great thing that would catapult me to the top of the personal website heap. Make ME blogging queen 2007. But I can't remember what it was. So I continue to flounder in obscurity. In 11 years of doing this, can't I be the queen at least once?

Other ordinary stuff:
Video Game Review: Sonic and the something something for Wii: I haven't played the game-game (sorry!) but I have played the really great bunch of party games a la Mario Party. In fact, I like them better than Mario Party 7. I've heard Mario Party 8 (due out soon?) isn't what it could be. So A- for Sonic's party games, or what I've seen of it so far. [Note: If you buy this at Target it comes with an exclusive DVD with a Sonic Comic book on it. We took a look and it's not worth buying just for that, unless the Target price is lower than wherever else you shop.]

Music: John Mayer Continuum A. I love it. Mr. Dump loves it. What more do you need?

Labels: 01453, car, commute, music, wii

Okay, Junior and I were taking photos today. That was our activity. We did take a bunch of pictures up at Skyview Middle School, which can be seen in my personal Leominster set (they are also in the Leominster group I linked to below.)

That little trip went fairly well, considering it was about 500 below zero up on top of the hill so we decided to take most of the pictures from inside the car.

When it was closer to sunset (i.e. good light) we headed over to Evergreen Cemetery to get a few more shots. I went in the main entrance to see if I could get a good shot of the sign (I couldn't) and then headed up the road to the right that goes into the "old" section. I got to the part that curves uphill...and it was snow-covered with big ruts. Uh oh, my van was not going to make it up the hill. But when I went to back down, the car didn't turn, it just sort of slid straight down. I didn't hit anything but snow, but that snow got good and jammed and my car got stuck. So I tried to rock it back and forth and started to get nervous that I was getting too close to the stones, given that I was trying to do this by myself.

I eventually called Mr. Dump to bring a shovel to save us. How embarrassing. But I don't think this is my fault. If the city didn't want to plow that whole road (it was plowed up to that curve) they should have blocked it with a barrel or something. And looking at that immediate area, it looks like I wasn't the first person to get stuck there.

If the city is going to plow the roads in the cemetery, they should plow all the roads in the cemetery, or block them off so that people like me don't get stuck and there isn't a risk of anyone damaging the stones.

So Mr. Dump freed us, and we went home photo-less. I told Junior we'd go back...after the snow melts.

Labels: 01453, car, Leominster, photos

I had this ding confirmed, but yes, ding #4 in the windshield happened at about 2pm today. Unbefreakingleavable. Again, on 495, and I wasn't even trying! (No, really, I'm not happy about this.)

So while I thought I was being funny by having the contest, I had no idea It would end so soon.

So looking at the only three entries of Dec 29, Jan 4 and March 15. Today is Dec 31, so the winner, guessing Dec 29th, is T.O.M. I will choose an appropriately awesome prize for T.O.M. I'm sure she's looking forward to receiving it!

Oh, and I'm not going to have a pool for crack #5. I'm hoping that will prevent it from happening any time soon.

Labels: car, contest