Goodbye Old Friend...Hello There Gorgeous!

It's time to grow up and get practical.  Which is why this weekend I bought myself a more sensible car.  I've been in love with my Toyota Celica since I saw the first ad for this body style.  Couldn't wait for them to hit the dealer's show floor and raced right over to buy one.  Helen and I both bought new cars together.  We went to the Saturn dealership to buy her car and then drove down the road to the Toyota dealership to buy mine. 
That was on February 26, 1996.  Have mercy, can it really have been that long ago???  And my son has been asking for that car since that day, so all those years ago I promised if I ever replaced it, it would be my gift to him.
Yesterday I got the tag for my new car and began emptying the Celica.  Now I'll have the tires rotated and balanced one more time (since it's paid for), and I'll have the alignment done one more time (ahh, the deal I got on that lifetime alignment package!!!) and I'll even vacuum & wash it one last time.  Then it's all his...and I'm thinking I'll hand over the keys this weekend.

Which of course brings us to my new sensible car...my Lexus SUV.  Have mercy, I drove it home Friday night and have fondled and caressed it ever since.  Got the title, insurance & tags business settled yesterday and drove it again last night & this morning.  Bigger vehicle for sure.  Much higher off the ground so I can actually see what's in front of the minivan in front of me now.  Always hated not knowing who the moron was holding up my lane of traffic. 
Bigger engine.  More get up and go.  And of course that means gas guzzler!  Going from 30+ miles to the gallon to just 20 mpg is going to KILL ME.  And paying for premium gas instead of the least expensive is really going to send me over the edge.
So when you see me on the highway gripping that gorgeous wooden steering wheel and puttering along like some little old lady it will be because I'm staring at that huge computer screen displaying my mpg, willing it to improve, knowing it ain't gonna happen.
I'll be easy to spot in parking lots too.  I'm the one circling to find 3 spaces together til I'm accustomed to the turning radius.  Last night at the auto parts store looking for license plate screws I pulled into a space and left 4' behind me.  Seriously.  I looked at that line and I looked at the back bumper 4' away from it and shook my head.  Inside the auto parts store they were trying to sell me one of these cameras for backing up so I asked what about one on the front so I can see if I'm close to the curb...and what about one for each side so I can see how far I am from curbs and painted lines.  And they were just laughing their heads off, but I was dead serious!  At this point I can use all the help I can get.
So steer clear & don't honk your horn and distract me.  Instead send me an email later to say you spotted me, and tell me how easy I was to pick out because of my halted acceleration when pulling away from a stop light.  My worst fear has been realized.  I'm now the moron holding up the lane of traffic!!!