Current mood:

rushed

I am Prius'd
The NEW CAR is here! A sky-blue (they call it Seaside Pearl) 2007 Toyota Prius with creamy leather uphostery, and it's in my custody. As of today, it's been contracted and financed for as well. It's got wacky differences from ordinary cars -- it being a hybrid. Your car "key" is a computer chip that you slot into the dashboard. A round POWER button (like on every electronic device) starts it. The gear shift is just a joy stick that you nudge generally in the direction of the gear you want. The gas pedal is actually just a box with a computer sensor that tells the drivetrain how much pressure you're putting on it.

I'm not used to driving with a computer screen telling me stuff either. I'm watching the animated graphics display when the electric motor is engaged versus the gasoline engine. Very trippy! They told me repair is expensive -- more than 40 computers in the thing, and it costs thousands to fix. In fact, they said it's a $52,000 car, but government subsidies let them sell it for half that. Good, 'cos I'm not paying no $52K for a ride.

It was a frustrating afternoon and evening as I worked on finding someone to take me to the far side of Round Rock to the dealership in the crazy ass traffic. But LeslieC had an unexpectedly clear evening and she was a prince!(ess)

And under the category of it all happens at once: The Olympus FE-200 digital camera with 5x optical zoom (and a macro setting that lets you take pictures from two inches away) came in today too. It seems awesome, but I'm too covered up with getting ready for the screenwriters' workshop with the story editor from New Line Cinema tomorrow to play with it!