Diana's Writing Blog

So, A LOT has happened since I last checked in. I went home yet again last weekend because my sister was visiting from college with one of her friends. Also, we celebrated Dad’s birthday since my sister was going to be home.

So it was a pretty busy weekend. I went to see Vantage Point with my sister and her friend, and it was pretty good. It’s not very rewatchable since it hinges on the suspense of not knowing what’s really going on, but it was certainly entertaining and way better than most of the crusty rehashed nonsense they’re passing off as feature films lately. Yeah, I’m talking to you Fool’s Gold and Semi-Pro. Whatcha gonna do about it?

Anyway, the parents got a Wii for their anniversary, so much of the weekend was spent playing Wii. So much so, in fact, that my entire upper body hurt so badly that taking extra strength Tylenol didn’t do much to cut the pain. Good times, though. Us kids got the parents Mario Party 8 for their anniversary, and it is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, controllers are $40 each, so we’ve only got two.

In other news, I finally bought a new car. My parents and I went out Saturday morning “just to look.” Yeah, I’m not sure how that turned into me buying a PT Cruiser, but somehow it did. Dad got this fly from the Ford dealership saying we won something and could have it just for walking in the door. Yes, I know it’s a scam, but we were car shopping anyway, so what’s the harm, right? Right…

I swear, it was like a scene out of Boiler Room up in there. Every time someone made a sale, they rang a cow bell and announced it. I. Kid. You. Not. That should have been our first clue right there. That and they didn’t put any prices on the car, nor would they give you a straight answer when you asked them a price. This was a liquidation sale, you see. And it was up to the bank who owned the cars to decide what “terms” they’d accept. This is code for, “Well, how much have you got?”

Long story short, they were scamming us hard. The gift we won was a $1,000 shopping spree on some shady internet site. Oh, as long as you pay shipping and handling and a modest $5 processing fee. Right…. And they tried to get me take a loan for about $10,000 plus kick in $2,500 on a car that was maybe worth $9,500. And they kept us waiting for about an hour while pretending the bank was mulling over the offer. So, yeah, we left. Dad, being a salesman himself, felt just enough obligation to go track the guy down where he was lounging in the back room and let him know we were going. Way to waste my time Ford dealer.

So, next was the GM dealership where Mom got her car and where her friend Diane works. We spent an hour there chatting and determining that no, by no stretch of the budget or imagination could I afford a new car. No matter how ugly. So, then as we were driving back I spotted a black PT Cruiser in the Bergeron dealership. We just stopped in to look for a few seconds. It was a 2001 and seemed to be about $2,000 over what it should be. I wanted a PT Cruiser, so I’d been researching them all week. So, I asked the guy and he was like, “Well its only got 53,000 miles on it, and it’s the Limited Edition with a moon roof, HEATED leather seats, and traction control. Oh, and it’s got a remote starter.”

And I was like, “Oh…Fair enough.”

And he was like, “You wanna test drive it?”

Yeah, yeah I did. And it was amazing. It was the heated leather seats that won Dad over. AND when we got back, the sales guy offered to drop the price to the EXACT amount that I could afford. So, it was like fate. And I really wanted a PT Cruiser. And it was the last one. And he was only dropping the price that much because his dad (who owned the business) was there and he wanted to impress him. So, I bought it. But it was a Saturday and the bank and insurance place weren’t open, so I had to leave it there and take Monday and Tuesday off of work to get a loan and full coverage insurance. But MAN do I love that car. Like, a lot. Plus, when I went to get the loan, the lady at the bank looked up the “book” value of the car and was like, “Wow, you got a good deal!” I was like ^^

Well, long story short, I’m behind on my novel again. I know, when am I not? Plus, the main character is really upbeat and indomitable. And I’m not feeling either now that more snow and cold weather has descended on us so it’s hard to dredge up her voice.

But here’s my progress for today:

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