So, I now have a new car. Or I will sometime today, if they ever call me to let me know it's ready to pick up. I called yesterday to ask about their inventory, and they swore they had what I wanted. Then I got there and found they didn't (they claimed they'd just sold them). That actually got me in a better bargaining position. They tried to sell me something that was similar but not quite right (an automatic transmission instead of manual, and I hate driving automatic), and I very sweetly refused, saying that wasn't what I wanted, and if they didn't have it, then I was very sorry, but I wouldn't buy it. They found a manual in another model for me to drive and see if I really did like it better, and I did. And then, miraculously, they found just the car I wanted on another lot owned by the same company. It's supposed to be delivered today. I think I managed to get a pretty good deal because I low-balled them on the number I gave them of what I was willing to spend (based on the research I'd done -- I gave them pretty much the lowest price I'd seen without tax, etc., but said that number was all I would spend, including tax, etc.), expecting to have to negotiate upwards, and I ended up getting it. The other sign it was a good deal was it shocked my dad.
Go, me! But the whole experience left me utterly exhausted. I pretty much collapsed on the sofa for most of the evening, and my hands hurt this morning because I seem to have slept with them clenched into fists. The salesman wasn't too bad. He was pretty nice, which I know is partially part of the job, but he didn't give me the creeps, and he didn't patronize me. That's my number-one pet peeve. I HATE being patronized, and I get it all the time. I'm fairly petite, and while I'm pretty slim, I'm also rather curvy, and I have that long, curly hair, plus I look younger than I am. Almost everything about my physical appearance is girly, and for some reason that seems to translate to a lot of people as stupid (especially now that I'm out of school and I'm not known for my academic performance). I get a lot of the pat-on-the-head, you're too dumb to understand this, so don't worry your pretty little head about it treatment, and that works me into near-homicidal rage (In addition to getting it from doctors, mechanics, car salesmen, etc., I even get that on dates, which is one of the many reasons I'm still single). But this guy never patronized me. I think he was sharp enough to know that would be fatal, and he was also incredibly impressed with me being an author.
I ended up getting a bright blue Ford Focus, so while I never did find that TARDIS dealer, I do have a blue box that seems to be somewhat bigger on the inside (especially the trunk).
My other accomplishment of the week was clearing out my e-mail in-box. Mind you, that doesn't mean I've dealt with the backlog. But I read something on the Unclutterer blog about getting e-mail under control, and they suggested that if you have a huge backlog (like, oh, about 4,000 messages), you should create a "backlog" folder and move everything from your in-box into it. Then you're starting fresh with a clean in-box and it's easier to keep it clean instead of just adding to the pile. Then you start working through the backlog folder, a little at a time. So, if you've e-mailed me in the past year or so, you might suddenly get a response in the next few weeks. One of the hazards of an overflowing in-box that sorts by date sent is that I've found messages buried below that I never saw if the calendar on the sending computer was off, since the message was put in order way down in the backlog. I hope to avoid that in the future.
But the very big news for the day is that Battlestar Galactica returns to us tonight! I'm making pizza and opening a bottle of chianti. The two-part season finale from last year kicks things off (so I can remember what happened), and then new things begin. Ah, quality sofa time.
While I was lying in bed all tensed up last night, I came up with the opening for the book I've been playing with in my head, so now I just need to figure out who my people are (I need a name for the main character).
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