"What hath this day deserved? What hath it done That it in golden letters should be set Among the high tides in the calendar?" (King John)

Today's the day we brought home Rhoda's new Malibu. The Dashboard looks like it comes straight from an aircraft. There are a plethora of buttons on the steering wheel with different logos on each one, and if I drove it, I'd first need a college course to learn which button to press in order to get the function I want. The clock was about 8 minutes fast and when I went to look for the buttons that would fix the time, I failed to find them. Of course, Rhoda drove the car home and she said it was "scary". To complicate matters, we had rain showers every few miles. When Rho inquired about how often the oil needs to be changed she was told there's a device on the panel that starts out reading 99%. When it gets down to 0% it's time to change the oil. With the mileage that she drives, it will probably get to zero after 6 months. The salesman said that was no problem...save our money and change whenever it hits zero. Besides that, up under the rear view mirror is the "On Star". When you press a button you are asked the address you want to get to and then when you answer you get turn by turn directions as you drive! She also has "XM" radio which has about a zillion stations. I can go on and on about what's in that car, but I don't want to bore you. Now she has her birthday, anniversary, valentine's day, mother's day present. Good, because I cannot afford to buy a card except maybe in the Dollar Store.

News about the grandchildren: Hannah Ross (Joel's daughter) and her mother, Barbara went to London because Hannah was giving a show of her photography for som fashion magazine. At the same time, Sean (Bonny's son) will be giving a second showing of his paintings in California. I would assume these two are well on their way to success with their individual talents. If one has such talents, it should be coveted and nourished as hard as one can.

I'm still fascinated at the prospect of having a woman or a black man as the nominee of the Democratic party. Hillary has the experience which helps her to debate so well, and Barack has the charisma that mesmerizes his audiences. As far as their becoming the "Dream Team" as President and Vice President, it will never happen. I believe either one will be able to win the election, but like Colin Powell said at his interview with Wolf Blitzer (?) I haven't decided who I'll vote for...but it will not be McCain.

"She has a good face, speaks well, and has excellent good clothes." (Pericles IV ii) ...and a new car. (Baron)

I am very happy to report that yesterday we finally (after 13 years!) bought a new car for Rhoda, and it's a beauty...a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LT. The color is an amber metallic and the interior is two-tone dark and light amber cashmere. The car is equipped as follows:

Color1: Cashmere Metallic TRIM COMBINATION CLOTH, MED CASHMERE I
Package:
ENGINE GAS, 4 CYL, 2.4L, MFI, ALUM, DOHC, HO, ECOTEC
TRANSMISSION AUTO 4 SPD, HMD, 4T45-E
Seat Adjuster: 6 way

Power Pedal Adjuster
Remote Vehicle Start System - Key Fob
Floor Mats - Premium, Carpet Frt, Rr & Trunk
Pedals, Power Adjustable Power Convenience Package
Package: Premium Mat Package

Radio, Digital Audio \'S\' Band (XM Radio)
OnStar Navigational System

I wasn't exactly born yesterday; it's not the first time I haggled a price for a car, and I'm sure I got the best deal for this car than I could anywhere else or however else. I still own my '99 Malibu with 73,000 miles which I bought over the internet as I did Rhoda's car and strangely enough at the same dealer in Riviera Beach. We are going to pick the car up tomorrow. The traditional rite for new cars is to toss some coins on the floor mats, so you out there let's get with it and send some coins to this address. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, Rhoda is a very happy lady. I told her if she's more comfortable driving my car, I'll trade with her. She rejected the offer.

On the Sunday, the 17th of this month there is going to be an Arts & Crafts show at the clubhouse. It's a very good showcase for the people in Huntington Lakes with various talents in painting, sculpting, ceramics, needlework, etc. I asked the director of the show if she considered writing an art or craft and she said absolutely. Therefore I'm going to set up a table with a sampling of my Memoirs and poetry books and see if I can sell one. Ha! Ha!

"If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not, Speak then to me." (Macbeth)

Now that my computer is up and running and happy again, so am I up and trying to walk, and happy again. Yesterday and today we were busy trying to find a new car for Rhoda. She has been driving a 1995 Cavalier and it now has almost 61,000 miles on it. That turns out to be 4700 miles a year. It looks new; the paint has not faded, and the interior does not show any signs of wear except for the sun shades. We brought it to CarMax today and an appraiser spent about a half hour checking everything on it. Finally the agent said they would pay $1500 for the car, which is about what I expected. I don't think we can get that on a trade-in for a new car. We are shopping for a Chevrolet LT Malibu, and it will probably go over $21K with the options Rhoda wants and needs...like power windows, seats, and pedals. I've been busy on the internet looking for that car, but the strange thing is that of all the dealerships that sell Malibus there arent too many around; Maroone the largest dealer only had one Malibu in the lot and I haven't heard from any dealer who has more than two in their lot.

Shopping for a car is not a lot of fun. There should be some kind of federal law that requires dealers to sell their cars for no more than $300-$500 above the invoice price. Many people try to bargain down from the MSRP price...the sticker price...rather than bargaining up from the invoice price...what the dealer paid for the car. When the sales person escorts you into his office it seems like you're going to hear that you have a terminal disease from a doctor. The whole process of negotiating is intimidating, mind boggling, confusing, confrontational, and torturous. When you get his "rock bottom" price, you learn there are a couple of thousand more things to be added on like state tax, license fees, dealer's "destination" fee (?), and then you need to max out your credit card if you agree to buy the car at that "rock bottom" price. And so shopping for a car is like going "...into the eternal darkness; into fire and into ice" (Dante)

To change the subject, last nite, watching the primary results was very interesting...at times even exciting. We heard McCain's speech, Hillary's and Obama's. Obama's speaking skills are electifying. The man exudes charisma and leadership qualities. He seems "Presidential". Rhoda felt that he reminded her of JFK. Admitting that his experience is lacking, the Presidency often makes the man...or the woman! There is a while to go yet; I haven't decided which Democrat to support but I will surely vote for the Democrat on the ticket. If it were not for FDR I wouldn't be where I am now.

"Mea flamma me gubernat per aquam frigidam."

Happy Super Bowl Day. It's indoors all day for me and I can't wait for Billy Berger to get up here to hook up my healthy computer so that I can dump this lap top. If you're going to watch the game, root for my bet: Patriots --12 and Under 53.5. It means I win if the Patriots win by more than 12 points and if the total score is under 53.5. I bet a whole $5 on each of those factors. I don't have too much money left after Friday's party. Those who read this and who wonder why they were not invited: I only invited neighbors from our building and people who were in our show last year--and so that Rhoda would have someone from her family here, I invited her cousins, Sandy and Irwin. Rhoda has so many friends who love her I would have had to hire the Superdome for the party, and taken out a bank loan to equal the national debt. Her sister, Geri, was invited, but she went up north to see a new granddaughter.

For those who are puzzled by the Latin title of this blog, it refers to a quotation that my grandson (the surfer-artist) Sean Tully wants to tattoo on his body. In translation it means "...my fire steers me through the frigid waters". I don't know where he picked that up, but I can surely understand how and what he feels about it. Unfortunately, I don't think there's room anywhere on his body for that tattoo except across his ass. And who would read it except while lying prone atop a significant other with a mirror on the ceiling. And even then it would read ass backwards. But boys will be boys.

Have a nice day and may the better team win--(by more than 12 pts.)