Anybody got any leads on a new car???

Yeah, my car is definately trying to tell me something. Recently, the anit-lock brakes started kicking on at every stop I made. This is a recurring problem: it means the sensors are starting to go bad again and need to be replaced again. I keep saying "again" because in the few years I've had the car, I've seen those sensors get replaced about two or three times. You'd think "the original car company," Ford, would have enough experience and know-how to make brakes that don't fail every year. Apparently not. Well, anyway, when the "ABS" light came on on my dashboard, I was expecting it -- but I wasn't expecting the "Parking Brake" light next to it to come on as well. So, off to the garage I go... and find out the brake lines are bad now. One was completely destroyed, the other three rusted and ready to burst. My initial reaction was, "screw it, I'll take the wreck to a dealership, take whatever I can get for it, and buy a new car." Then I realized there's no way I'm driving in a car with no brakes, so I have to get them fixed. $500 later, my car's got new brake lines... and the ABS still kicks on for no reason.

I think that "something" my car's trying to tell me is "I'm done. Let me rest."

Consequently, I'm on the market for a new car. Naturally, being an Ithacan and a member of the Sierra Club, I'd like a hybrid. Probably the most idea would be either a Prius or a Honda Civic Hybrid. Unfortunately, they're a bit outside my price range, both being about $21,000. Then there's the Honda InSight, a snappy-looking two-seater hybrid for closer to $20,000 that's rated at about 66 mpg on the highways. WOW! I like the look of that one... and let's be honest, here: single guy, no commute, just drives back and forth to the grocery store every now and again... it's actually not a bad car for me. Still, it's a bit pricy.

So, I started looking at the Toyota Corolla. It's rated at about 41 mpg on the highways. Nice and efficient, much more reasonable price ('round $15,000), and a decent, reliable car. Then I checked car reviews and found one that was recommended more highly than the Corolla, has more options and standard features, and starts at about $2,000 less.

Scion.

Dear God, no, I'm not going for one of those hideous boxes-on-wheels (Car Talk did a survey for the ugliest cars of 2005: the Scion xB was in at #2, with the description "Did the cleaning lady pull the plans for this out of the trash as a joke, and nobody noticed?"). Nah, I'm not all that interested in that one, although it has gotten good reviews as a car with lots of space. I'm more looking into this one: the Scion xA. Cute, economical (again, about 40 mpg highway, 32-ish city), and reasonably priced. Lots of options. Plenty of space if you fold those rear seats down. Did I mention it's reasonably priced, with lots of options?

Now for the wrinkle: there's no Scion dealer in Ithaca -- closest one is in Endicott (if their website is accurate), about 45 min. away. Not ideal for service... unless the Toyota dealer in town will service them. I mean, Scion is another subsidiary of Toyota, after all.

I'll keep ya'll posted. ;-)

In other news, my job at Northside Wine and Spirits has come to a close. I have finished as much as I can do. Keep watching that website -- once all the pictures are uploaded, you'll get to see some of my handiwork. Being done there is a bittersweet moment. I'm glad to have my evenings free again, but I'll miss working there. The people were great! I'll have to do more shopping there, I suppose...

The youth groups are chugging along. We recently had our annual "Madrigal Dinner" fundraiser event -- big, fancy dinner for people just before a concert of the IC Madrigal Singers. All the kids wear black-and-white with red or green bow ties and cumberbunds... I wore my tux. It's amazing to me how impressed people get at the sight of a guy in a tux. To me, it's no big deal -- after all, in college, we wore those things about once a month at least. But I got a LOT of compliments.

Then I got even more on the 11th... it was music Sunday, so I played bass trombone with the Ithaca Brass (IC's faculty brass quintet) and the choir for a performance of John Rutter's Gloria. And -- gasp and egad! -- I wore a sport coat! For a guy who normally comes to church in a t-shirt and jeans, that was quite a change, and people were pretty free with their compliments again. Plus, the music was fantastic, so I got a lot of comments about that... and one lady even gave me a trombone! Beat THAT!

(Yeah, her late husband used to play tenor, and she'd been looking for a good home for the instrument... she said to try it out and see if I'd like to keep it. I haven't tried it out just yet... I need to clean it out like mad first!)

The youth groups are also planning a Christmas Eve service, too... and it's coming along. We need to rehearse the music and make sure everyone knows what they're doing, but I think we'll have a nice (shorter) service for Christmas Eve. If you're in the area, come check us out!

Beyond that, I'm not sure what else to tell you all. Life marches on... I'm just plugging away at work, day after day. Weekends are often kinda busy, too. But Christmas is just around the corner, and with it come a few blessed days away from the office. Then New Year's... and another couple days. Lord knows I need it!