Best present ever

Once I hit a certain age (twelve or so?), birthday celebrations just lost that zip. Most years, I really don't care. Certainly there are high points. I remember some odd bits about my 16^th because I wound up outside in the rain in my moms car thinking that I only had a year to go before I could drive (I was so sick of riding a bike everywhere). I had a wonderful date with a beautiful coed on my 18^th (we could finally go dancing because I was legal in Florida). My wife made my 40^th pretty special by setting up a surprise party.

Yesterday is now on the really short list because I got the best present ever, the car.

We'd discussed the possibility back in October, but it didn't seem likely. And by early November it was looking like Thanksgiving was the target date. All that changed last Thursday when I learned the car was due this week. Figuring it could be any time, I took off Thursday and Friday, just to cover it. The car was basically ready on Wednesday but I went over early Thursday afternoon to pick it up. I guess I should have made the appointment earlier. The place was a madhouse and we managed to mangle the paperwork twice (it's pretty funny in retrospect, but I'm darned glad I had my Treo with me so I could catch up on news and otherwise entertain myself). It was just past 4:30 when we finished with the paperwork, dry run stuff sitting in the car and then I was on my own.

I pulled out of the spot, and promptly turned the wrong way. Figuring I could drive my way out, I eventually wound up in a row of vehicles (with one parked smack dab in the middle of the row) where I didn't think I could squeeze past any more. So now, I'm in the new car, in a tight row of new trucks and I am backing up to get to some place where I can turn around. It was a bit nerve fraying (my second attempt in the car to judge the gas/clutch ratio is going backwards in a sea of expensive cars? I could have done without that) but I managed it and eventually got out of the lot.

At this point, the sun had arrived at that nasty declination designed for blindness and I was headed west on Ventura Boulevard. Rather than go the usual way (right on Topanga, left on Burbank -- where I know what I'm doing), I followed some advice that's probably pretty good, but left me dazed and confused (and a bit blinded while trying to get a feel for the way the world looks). I stumbled around a bit and found that "it's just after you go under the freeway" was slang for go 0.8 miles and several traffic lights past the freeway overpass. Feh! Anyway, I learned a new way onto the freeway (should I ever need it).

The drive back was uneventful. Freeway, rush hour, new car, brutal sun (no hat)... drive kinda pokey and don't kill anything. Once I got back into town my spirits lifted and I remembered that I'd told Tom I'd come by and show him the car. The ride up Erbes (over Sunset and back down to Olsen) was less bright and a heck of a lot more fun. Tom and I chatted for a bit and then we took a short ride around the northwest areas of the town. I promised him we'd do a canyon run soon and then headed for home.

Once home, I had to do a quick run for Sarah and Jon (until he was so cold in the back that we had to stop at Sunset, put the roof up and come back). I took Stephen out next and we took a pretty good tour of the city. West to Lynn (and Olsen), onto the 23 south and home. Along the way I got to do something fun that he got a kick out of. With no one in front of me as we took the freeway entrance from Olsen, I punched it in second as we hit the corner and took it to about 5,000 up the grade, hopped to third and did the same thing and then into fourth, hitting uhh, freeway speed plus, backed off a bit and merged. Just before the top of the grade at Sunset, I dropped it into fifth and coasted the rest of the way.

Today was mostly about running around until Jon got home from school. The first words out his mouth were "I'm ready Dad, let's go!", which we did. He and I took a very nice winding tour, going down Kanan Road to PCH, for a nice western stretch. We came back via Los Posas Road, Heuneme Road and Potrero Road (the later having several tight turns in the canyons). It was a nice ride and he enjoyed it but next time I make sure he has a hat on. I'd had him bring a jacket but with the Santa Ana's (we could see the smoke smudge from the Ventura fire pretty well as we came up Los Posas) he didn't need the jacket. He did need a hat.

I guess I'll go looking for somewhere nice to do a photo tomorrow. The pictures at the dealer have some wacky color thing going on (in the shadows with a bright sun behind them) that do nothing for the car. At worst, I'll get a picture in the driveway (or ski slope as Kurt would put it).

Update: Before I had a chance to post, Sarah wanted to go out for a drive of her own. While getting onto the freeway at Westlake, she yelped a bit as we hit hit freeway speed in third, I just laughed. I also pushed to make sure she got to do the ramp off of Olsen. Finally, as we turned onto Erbes a few blocks from home, Sarah ran it up real quick just to show she could (she'd made a remark earlier today about boys being boys when I'd done it). Backing up the driveway (which I do as a standard matter after several years practice) was a pain but everything else went well.