— 1 —
Jose’s mom has been here since Saturday, and as usual it’s been great to have a grandparent around. She and Emma have gotten a lot of quality time together, and Jose and I have enjoyed several date nights! We went to dinner and a movie for Valentine’s Day (although that one was actually made possible by the daycare’s Parents Night Out), hung out at the bookstore for a while on Saturday night, and went out to dinner again on our own on Sunday. She is staying through this weekend as well, so we’ll get at least one more. Hooray for date nights!
— 2 —
With grandma here, I’ve also had plenty of time to sew. I’m working on a quilt for my friend Erin’s baby girl, due in April. (I made one for her son too, so the fact that I’m making one isn’t a surprise but the design will be!) I started working on it over the weekend and made a ton of progress — the piecing for this quilt top is actually quite a bit simpler than most of the other quilts I’ve done. I got as far as I could before having to stop because I was still waiting on the last fabric I ordered. Shipping was delayed because of all the bad weather in the northeast, but it finally arrived on Wednesday. I expect to finish piecing the top and start quilting before the weekend is over.
— 3 —
We’ve also had time to do some more car shopping. On Monday (which was President’s Day so we weren’t at work) we went to the local Hyundai dealership and test drove both the Tuscon and the Elantra. We liked the Elantra but felt it was overpriced — in large part because the dealership had added on a lot of after-market “features.” On Tuesday, we ended up back at the trusty Toyota dealership where we test drove a Camry. After originally thinking they were too “boring,” we liked the Camry best of everything we’ve tried.
— 4 —
On Wednesday night I went over to UHCL for a group review and critique session for those of us working on our master’s projects. I showed off the 8 posters I’ve designed so far and got a few suggestions on ways to improve the ones I’m not totally happy with. I also got the draft of my narrative (which talks about my inspiration for the project and artistic influences) back from my professor. He only had 3 edits, and they were all really minor — not even typos or grammar mistakes but just 3 spots where he felt a word or two could be different.
When I wrote it last month, I put effort into formatting and layout as well. I did this partly because I’m kind of a geek for layouts, but also because there are very specific formatting requirements for thesis projects, and I figured it’d be easier in the long run to incorporate those requirements into the Word document right from the start. I suspect I am the only one who has ever taken this approach, since my professor said my narrative was in better shape than any other draft he’s ever gotten. So pat on the back for me!
— 5 —
But hey, guess what else happened on Wednesday night as I was on my way to UHCL, a mere 24 hours after we completed the Camry test drive? I started the Xterra and pulled out of the driveway, and noticed that it was vibrating quite a bit. Less than half a mile down the road, the “Service Engine Soon” light started flashing. The rumbling and vibration hadn’t gone away, and I didn’t want to risk getting stranded at UHCL, so I turned around and went home. (Jose, his mom and Emma had gone out to dinner so when they got back with the other car, I was able to make it to UHCL albeit an hour late.)
A quick check of the Xterra owner’s manual confirmed what I suspected after talking to my dad — the engine is misfiring. The owner’s manual says the car can still be driven but to stay under 45 mph, avoid rapid acceleration or deceleration, and get it checked out by a mechanic as soon as possible. Unbelievable. Seriously, first the dead starter from a few weeks ago and now this? It’s like the car KNOWS that I’m about to get rid of it.
— 6 —
So last night, we went back to Toyota — as we’d planned to do even before the Xterra’s hiccups — and reached unofficial agreement on a price for a silver 2014 Camry SE. We’re going to sign all the paperwork and pick it up tomorrow morning. New car! Woo!
— 7 —
So what have I NOT done thanks to the extra time afforded from grandma’s visit? Well, I haven’t been running. I decided last week that doing the Seabrook Half was just too much right now, since I didn’t really have a solid reason for wanting to do it other than saying I did it. And with that as my only rationale, I couldn’t really justify the rather pricey registration fee. That decision plus the lure of non-stop Olympics on TV have apparently killed all motivation I had for running.
(Linking up: 7 Quick Takes, hosted by Conversation Diary)
We really like the Camry as well. It is very comfortable and spacious, and the ride was very smooth. I think we will probably get one in the next year or two.