"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.