Today was a good day. I didn't get robbed, kill any animals, or suffer further damage to my vehicle. The variety of responses I've gotten concerning the events of the past two days is pretty funny. The most common one concerning the dog was, "Where? On the freeway?". I guess because citizens of L.A. spend many of their waking hours on the freeway, they have come to this conclusion. However, I think if I had encountered this dog on the freeway, it would have had a much better chance since I rarely get up to 40mph on the freeway. The response from my male friends indicates my experience is pure comedy. The response from my female friends has been total compassion. One friend of mine (possibly more) forwarded my story to all his friends. Who knows how much of the world has read my story at this point. I wonder if it will ever come back my way. I wonder how the story will change as it passes through so many people's email inboxes.

Today, I was having lunch with one of my coworkers. After I told him my story, he said he talked to a man a couple weeks ago in the same area (it was right near work). He had a dog and he said he takes it there cuz it likes to chase the rabbits. "Was it a man with a beard?", I asked. Yes. "Was it a brown medium sized dog?", I asked. Yes. Man, that was probably the same guy. My friend laughed. There is definitely a fine line between comedy and tragedy. People will never see it the way I did (at least the men won't). I suppose it is a funny story if you don't think about the people involved specifically. Sad.

Anyways, I've been thinking that instead of fixing my old car, maybe I should just buy a new one. My car is 10 years old. It has 175,000 miles on it. For years people have been telling me to buy a new car. I thought it was silly to buy a new car when I just paid off a car that works just fine. Well, I've been driving payment free for about 5 years now. The paint is worn a bit. There a couple dents and a few scratches (thanks to other people who don't respect my property). The engine rattles quite alot and has for a while. In fact, that probably means I'm about due to pay for a huge repair. The alarm really doesn't work that well. I stopped using it 5 years ago. The alarm kept going off randomly. I figure it was more likely to encourage people to vandalize my car than to protect it from theft. There is no point in buying a new alarm. The cost of an alarm is worth 4 or 5 more stereos. I'm supposed to get a new timing belt every 90,000 miles, so I'm due for that very soon. That's expensive, but if you ignore it and it breaks, it will cost even more. I'll probably have to buy new tires sometime this year. I'm due for a new battery. It still has its original transmission. Those days have got to be numbered. The panel on the outside of the passenger door is coming off. And now I need a new stereo and I need to fix the bumper, wheel well, and the right light. It seems it would be wiser to invest all this money into a down payment for a new car instead. Another good reason to buy is the interest rates are low so I could get a pretty good loan. Also if I buy in January, I can get a better deal on the '03 models as they try to clear them out. The only problem with that is you have less selection. I'm pretty set on what I want to get. I'll have to see how my insurance rates will change though. At least the new car tax law was repealed. In retrospect, Hondas are great cars. The engine survived most of the fixtures. That's how it should be. I just no longer feel like it is secure. Not that any car is really secure, but everyone I know who has ever had their car broken into was because they didn't have an alarm or their alarm wasn't set. My car has only been broken into twice. The first time caused me to get an alarm. The second time caused me to get a new car, ha ha. Alarms are standard these days anyway. Two times in 10 years isn't bad especially if you live in L.A.

Anyways, now a different topic. Today is Trilogy Tuesday. What is Trilogy Tuesday, you ask? Well, Trilogy Tuesday was your opportunity to see the extended Fellowship of the Ring, extended Two Towers, and the theatrical release of Return of the King all in one sitting at your local theater. For me personally, this did not have huge appeal. Sitting through one of those films is a journey. I can't imagine watching the whole thing in one sitting. I think if you do this, you will age a whole year in one day. The total screen time is about 10 1/2 hours. I wonder how many intermissions there will be. Do they give you time to go get food somewhere at meal times? I think the experience would not be unlike a transatlantic flight. Sitting down for over 10 hours is not my idea of a good time. I think that would be a cool thing to do for an overnight party in the comfort of someone's home, but not at some theater. Anyways, others disagree since the event sold out the day tickets went on sale (at least at all the theaters around here).

I finished my Christmas shopping today. I'm convinced that Best Buy in Westwood is the best place to go. No crowds at all. I waited in a line of about 2 people. Once the students are gone, the whole town is empty. I still need to buy some other items for my trip like an umbrella and gloves (two things I've never really needed in Southern California). I leave this Saturday. I hope I can make it without further damage to my car.