Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Random Encounters

Apparently, I’m becoming this weird guy who talks to strangers for no good reason. Yesterday and today, while walking back from picking up lunch at Trader Joe’s, I accosted people in the parking lot. Yesterday it was a man who was getting into a Toyota Prius; today it was a woman with a dog.

Evelin and I are looking for a new car. Sunday we made the first plunge into the world of car buying with a trip to CarMax, but no decisions were made mostly because the thought of buying a car makes me a bit anxious. Not quite Woody Allen anxious, but close. Part of it is that I’ve gotten used to no car payment in the two years since the Civic was killed, part of it is that I just don’t want to deal with the hassle of arranging financing, committing to a decision about a new car, etc. I’m also torn because I want an HEV auto, but I’m not sure about the Prius, the Honda Insight is too small and the Civil Hybrid, well, I’m not sure. Concerns range from what’s maintenance going to cost to just the higher base cost. I don’t know.

The guy I talked to yesterday, however, seems to be like other Prius owners I’ve met: On the verge of being a cultist: These people love their car.

The woman I talked to today had a really cute little dog. He looked a bit like a husky, but smaller and the leg:body ratio was wrong. I thought he might be a husky-corgi cross (husgi?) or a puppy, but she said he was an 8-year-old shiba inu. A very inquisitive and cute dog, but I felt bad for him a bit as it was 93°F.

No comments: