Mitsubishi Galant

Rented from National Car Rental which lets you pick your own car. Having never driven a Mitsubishi Galant, I thought it would be a good choice. I had kind of been hoping to get a Volvo but didn't see one....until I tossed my luggage in the trunk of the Gallant, a Volvo was dropped off right next to me.

I thought of switching but thought that would be too obvious. When I pulled up to the check out and happened to turn on the fan, there was a rather loud noise. I considered turning around and changing vehicles but I didn't.

I should have.

The fan noise was very irritating and probably adversely affected my opinion. I know it shouldn't because it most likely is not Mitsubishi's fault but you can't avoid the psychological impact.

On the good side the Galant is very fun to drive. It has lots of power. But best of all it feels like an all-wheel drive vehicle. It really "sticks" to the road with its wide tires and low profile. Whether starting from a stop or accelerating onto highway speed, there is no delay or hesitation and no abrupt down shifting.

The interior of the model I had was not very eye turning. Knobs and controls were easy to use and understand but boring. I thought Galant's were known for their bells and whistles. This one didn't have any.

The engine is tuned to be very muscular sounding. One of my co-workers even mad a comment when starting the Galant. I liked the sound, however, the radio did not have the auto-adjust feature that many vehicles have that raises the volumn as your speed increases. I had to constantly adjust the radio volumn to hear at highway speed then turn the volumn down on side streets.

The side mirrors are a good size and the fact that they are square really improves visibility. But they are not retractable. The stem attachments are rigid. I think all cars should have flappable side mirrors. You see way too many vehicles with their side mirrors dangling or snapped off because they don't collapse.

Overall I would recommend this vehicle with more optional equipment. FYI - good luck finding Mitisubishi's auto car website. Not at all intuitive and once I found it....BORING!

shower curtain option

The way I had my shower curtain hung was driving me crazy.

My curtain rod is high because of the window. I don't really want an extra long curtain. The curtain rod is so close to the ceiling and hanging the curtain right off the rod makes the shower/tub feel too closed in and dark even though there is a light.

I was using multiple curtain rings to lower the top of the curtain so that it was low enough to keep water in the tub and also let natural light in over the top. But the multiple rings were catching on each other and getting the whole thing tangled up.

Here is the current option. At first I thought to get another curtain rod to suspend below the tension rod.

I headed over to Bed, Bath and Beyond. Next door is a World Market which is going out of business. I stopped in to check out the deals. This curtain rod looked like it would be a "fancier" rod to suspend than a regular curtain rod.

I didn't think about the finials not letting the curtain go to the ends. Luckily the curve of the tub keeps the shower water in where it is supposed to be.

Natural light still gets in over the top now and the curtain slides easily along the metal curtain rod.

Another attempt at Cozumel photo album

Cozumel 50th Bday

Odds and Ends

The scaffolding is down from the south end of Calhoun Square parking ramp....and revealed....
a new brick facade. It looks nice but only goes up 3 of the 4 stories.

What's with the price of gas?! It is $1.99.9! I haven't heard that oil has gone up.

A lot of melting went on this week while I was in Texas. The sidewalks are almost completely clear. And there is bare ground in my backyard.

Finally home

Two hours late!

American Airlines changed the flight to be 20 minutes earlier than it used to be. Last week we were delayed because the flight crew didn't make it in time.

This week there was no reason given. We were supposed to board at 6:50. I think we finally started getting on around 8:45pm. We didn't take off until 9:25pm because the crew found a broken first aid kit and it took the grounds crew at least 20 minutes to bring a new one.

We were stranded at the gate again this week because there wasn't anyone to drive the jet way to the plane. So we sat at the gate for another 15 or 20 minutes. I'm pretty unsatisfied and unhappy with AA right now.

Another craziness?

The headline on this morning's USA Today was on A-Rod's stupid steroid confession. The new President's first news conference covering perhaps the worst economic crisis in 30 years was above the fold but still only rated third lead!

I wasn't the only one who noticed. The Project Manager even mentioned it...in incredulity.

I just saw The Dallas Morning News at the gym and it also had the A-Rod story as the headline with President Obama's speech second.

Is some stupid...his words...baseball player taking performance enhancement drugs six years ago really that important? That's crazy!

Travel confusion??

I don't know if I'm getting confused or just tired of the routine.

I park in the same general area at the airport so I don't have to search for my truck when I get home late on Thursdays.

I see the same coffee barista at the airport Caribou Coffee every Monday. She recognizes me and we chat.

I did pick up a car from National Car Rental instead of Hertz this week but these rental cars are all starting to look and smell alike.

I stop at GNC on my way to office and get protein drinks. Same cashier guy every week. I then go over to Quiznos to grab a sandwich or salad to go. The three people behind the counter....same three every week...recognize me.

I'm at the Anatole this week which I haven't been for a few weeks but I've been staying here so many months that I easily forget what room I'm supposed to be in.

Another week....another week in Dallas/Irving.