Tires, Shopping and Relish

I did something today I had not done in nearly nine months - had my car serviced.  As you might imagine, the car needed much more than an oil and filter change.  No, it does not mean that the car was running poorly; it was just overdue for maintenance and the dealership successfully found other things to fix, including removing air from the tires and replacing it with nitrogen.

Upon a few minutes of searching the 'net, it appears that nitrogen filled car tires makes a marginal difference in gas mileage but my guess is that it was of bigger benefit to the dealership.  So as to not sulk about my lack of all things automotive, I'll reclassify this experience as an opportunity to help an ailing industry and, more importantly, make at least a partial investment in America (or, at least, to Penske Automotive Group).

Out of a gloomy couple of weeks of bizarre weather, it seems the mall at which I wound up wandering as the car was getting serviced is, at least, holding its own.  At a time when our nation's economy is in some state of transition, it's all too easy to find going out of business sales, struggling industries and hesitancy in starting new businesses.  I found a department store that is, as well, investing in America (see the photo above), even if it is only building a new store to replace its existing store at the same mall.  The construction site still looked active -- no permanent work stoppage here.

I even stopped by a new-to-the-area burger joint that is familiar to recent followers of all things political.  If it is good enough for our President, it's good enough for me.  The vote on the burgers was mixed, though, in our household -- I could not tell what all of the fuss was about.  However, the place was busy this afternoon and the crew behind the counter working at lightening speed.

Yes, sometimes it's important to just celebrate the small victories.  Even if it's just with a double patty burger.

Better news for my budget / the next step in Afghanistan

Taking a new job that pays 30% less than my last job did, I am always on the hunt for ways to make a smaller paycheck go farther.

Nowadays, it actually becomes cheaper to use public transportation in the Los Angeles area (it wasn't always like this, but with gas prices just over $2 per gallon and my compact SUV getting 18 miles/gallon and a 25 mile one-way drive, a $5 day pass is actually a money saver when I add in less spent for maintenance and insurance).

My new employer is offering to pay for monthly passes in full if I continue to use the public transport.  It is the first time in over 17 years of working full-time that an employer made this much effort to encourage employees to use public transport.  I found out from HR today that about 100 out of 300 of the company's employees use the passes.

For the incredibly low price of $0.00 per month, I'm actually going to spend a little less on the car now than I did when I had to drive 5 miles one way to work.  I'm even getting full-day parking passes for 2 days a month at the employee parking lot and a $20 gift card to a nearby discount department store.

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It is tempting to jump the gun regarding tomorrow's scheduled announcement from the President on the increase in troops going to Afghanistan.  

Articles posted today hint at a military/civilian strategy.  I'm pulling for "more civilian, less military' plan, but even I know well enough to leave my rose-colored glasses in the case.

More on that tomorrow.

A DUH moment: AMP Motorworks

Was watching BBC America World News just now and they interviewed a man named Steve Burns from a company called AMP Motorworks.  Mr. Burns is in Washington DC at the moment trying to get a meeting with Congress to ask for a loan from the government.

Click here to read a summary of what AMP Motorworks does.  From what I saw in the interview, I see just a couple of hurdles to clear.  First, the conversion of a Saturn Sky's internal combustion engine to an electric drive train costs $25,000.00.  That price is steep for most car owners.  For those who can afford the cost, once the Sky is brought into their shop, the conversion takes all of two days.  Mr. Burns told the interviewer that he actually has a waiting list to get cars converted.

The other hurdle to clear is for apartment dwellers like me who do not have electrical outlets in the parking lot -- there is no where to plug in the car!  However, if enough people with electrical outlets in their garages and carports demand this conversion, perhaps apartment home owners can be convinced to wire parking lots for electrical outlets.

So, for just how many billions is Mr. Burns asking?

$20 million

Yes, twenty million dollars. All of 0.13% of what was offered to the big 3 American car companies.

I'm ready to make that loan.