| Blogs > victorylee0516 > Shy Asian Girl |
|
The Commute For the past few years, I have been using my brother’s old car, a 1992 BMW that has probably seen better years. I inherited it from him when he graduated from the university and he left for five years service in the military. He now drives fast cars and an even faster jet. But I guess when a car is over 18 years old it tends to get more and more expensive to repair and maintain, at least for a ding-bat girl who really doesn’t know much about cars at all. My father offered me a new car when I graduated last summer but we just never got around to it. Just before this Chinese New Year, my brother decided the family business needed new cars to replace the vans and the cars some of our sales people use to see and our delivery crew uses to deliver product. He replaced the gas-guzzlers with five new Toyota Prius and then let me order my own car, a nice red one with the touring package, leather seats, and the entertainment package. A few of the employees also purchased theirs in order to use the fleet discount pricing. When I was going to school in Berkeley, at first I drove to school. It seemed as though I had to plan my day around the quarter-mile sprint to feed the meter every two hours during the day. I finally decided to switch over to using public transit, it took an extra hour each way every day and required following a precise schedule. I left my parent’s home by bus, arrived at the BART station in Daly City then took the BART to Berkeley, and finally transferred to another bus to get to the campus. This was convenient because I didn’t have to worry about driving in congested traffic and then trying to find a parking space that didn’t require me to carry buckets of quarters. This past month I have been working at a laboratory that operates 24/7 but public transportation seems to end at the convenience of the drivers so they can get home in time for David Lettermen or late night reruns. Also, it really isn’t safe for anyone walking through the neighborhood at three in the morning. I went back to driving the BMW to work but sometimes it would not start or it would get some sort of vapor lock and I would then need to call AAA for assistance. I took it to the dealership and what they wanted to repair the car almost cost as much as a recent used car. On Tuesday, the new Prius finally arrived at the dealership but I didn’t take possession of it until yesterday morning. I drove it to work at mid-day and drove it home late last night and so missed the commute traffic. This morning, what a pleasant commute it was. I left my home at the usual time, and got on the 85 north to Mountain View, merged onto the 101 north and made my exit at Redwood City to drive the five city blocks to the laboratory. The experience was wonderful. No stop-and-go driving until I had to make my way to the exit through the slow moving lanes to my right. I was 40 minutes early so I have extra time to just write and listen to music. And what happened to the old BMW? One of the ladies working at the warehouse bought it from my bother for a nominal fee. Her is taking a mechanics course and will use the car as his rebuild project. Vicky Signing off to take care of my little lab rats while listening to Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu in c-sharp. |
|||
3/6/2008 2:25 pm |
Glad to see you have comfort in transportation, I do appreciate your determination of intent .. to analyze the factors and find suitable means of transport.. to continue your education... thats good mental fortitude and resourcefulness. I'd like to see Redwood City.. it's crazy that I lived in Ca for so long and never took the time to go see it.. I don't know why I never had much of an interest to venture and get to know SFO, I've been there a few of times.. but not on an exploratory trip.. I saw the commercial on the car you mention, I think as time goes, you will be delighted with it, on an economic level and the simplicity of driving a small car.. I had a couple of older BMW's and both were 530I and a 530Is.. they drove very good on the freeways because they are heavy cars.. the last one the 530Is was a true gas sucker.. my last two have been a 300E and now a 320E.. I like it so far it's comfortable and reasonable on fuel. it's got a some years on it, but it's excellent in appearance and performance, so I see no need for a car change.. but .. when I do change, in the coming years .. I will get a small car that is designed for effeciency and economic conservation. I keep the Porsche, because I've had it so long and it's in good condition, but I rarely drive it.. it's more like now an antique or something.. that is better suited for being strictly a recreational vehicle for a good weekend drive.. I don't think it's worth it to turn it to a everyday driving car... I think for economic reason as well as reason of finance concerns, plus I've not rode it in a while, I am strongly considering selling my Suzuki, but I do plan to keep the Harley... maybe if economic situation was better .. I'd probably keep it, as it's such a beautiful bike.. it's the M109R.. Congratulation on your new car.. and may you find much enjoyment with it.
| ||
|
The old bimmer must have contributed to the aging process, driver included. Sister, nice blog about the peninsula commute, but as a online big brother (literally in my profession), I advise that you refrain from divulging too much personal info of yourself (especially your daily routine and locations) and your relatives here. Some crazy stalkers, overzealous admirers and unrequited detractors alike can piece together your commute route, source, destination, time range, and type of car to track you down. I know folks will say this is paranoia, but the real world out there is a very dangerous place. The Bay Area is home to a lot, I repeat, a lot of online predators, stalkers, psychos, whackos and wankers. And they are watching you. Omit "the dots" if you can.
| ||
|
Enjoy !!! Glad you're having a more peaceful time on the road, especially after your earlier worries about getting the new car. It's also good that the old Volvo is going to be put to good use. My daughter bought a similar one last week, but for her it is a "new" car. At least it still goes, which is more than her last one did (see e-Bay). Also good to see that you can relax to some "class" music. That's something I didn't know about you...  Stay happy.  May your God go with you.
|
