Like butter, I think I am on a roll

here in Little Rock.

Going to see Ben Nichols (Lucero) tonight, solo, at the legendary Juanita’s.

Promises to be a large time.

Solid as a stone.

Drove a super-hybrid (don’t tell my brother) Toyota Prius here yesterday. All I have to say is “wow.” I was getting a little tired of burning fuel on the way down so I switched it to B (battery). It was like driving a Mac (no stalling).

Baby wait and see.

The Buick Riviera could be in her final death throws. The odor of burning oil is unmistakable rising from the manifold. I hypothesize that this is from the supercharger which is often the first to go on these cars. The charging computer) system seems to be failing too. The squeaking coming from under the hood is either the alternator, supercharger, or more than likely (thus explaining all of the symptoms), both. 190543 miles and counting. If this is, in fact, the end of the “Riv” and the signs I am reading tell me it could very well be, I will be sad to see this car go. I have owned and driven several different cars, arguably much cooler cars than this one. For a bit there I changed them often and drove with a fickle foot. Now, I am committed to a car and if they made them still, I would own a new one. As it is I am think I will look hard for a low mileage gem from the late 90’s.

Without you, baby there’s no me.

This car was 7 when I bought it and is still the newest car I have owned (1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1997). I did get incredibly fortunate with it in terms of maintenance–brakes, oil changes–for 110000 miles. And she isn’t going to win the Al Gore car of the year award for fuel economy but 22-26 on the highway is still decent.

I consider myself to be environmentally minded but this TOYota Prius isn’t for me. Brother Gabe called the other day with a smoking hot deal on a 2008 Pontiac G8. I should have snapped it up but stammered, hesitated, and said as politely as I could, “thanks, but no thanks.” While it would be all sorts of cool to own and drive a car like that, it also would displace a large sum of cash per month. Cheap cars are the (purple?) wave of the future.

Back to Little Rock and this conference. Wish me luck tonight getting into see Mr. Nichols. It is, after all, “Nights Like These,” that “make me sleep all day.”

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