A Week of Losses and Gains

And in the end, I think the gains have won out.

It started Sunday the 12^th—when my dear old Mazda began to fail—Not sure exactly what the problem was—but clearly it was the transmission (manual)--an expensive problem for an old car (it was a 1993 Mazda!)

My new Galant

But—I had already agreed to buy (at a substantial discount) my younger sisters (M) Mitsubishi Galant—a mere 10 years old, and with half the mileage.

 A used car is always a bit of pig in poke—but I have bought a used car from my sister before (and I think, if it hadn't been total (hit while parked) I might still be driving that car!) and while no one knows what the future hold, I feel I have better odd with her car than I would have with a strangers.

But now the pressure was on. I was worried about how drivable my Mazda was—In the end, I made the right decision to have it towed Monday.  I managed to drive it out of the large underground garage, and that was it---It was reluctant to go up onto the bed of the flat bed tow truck—but since it was in an easy access position—it didn't really matter—the hoist pulled up the last few feet.

Tuesday started the process of the getting the new car. I got a lift to Hicksville (where the Galant lived) and then headed to the DMV—where I got a bunch of forms--(some of the useful, some incorrect)-- and then back to Hicksville (several of the forms required my sisters signatures).  On Tuesday, I didn't get past the ticket counter (where the forms are dispensed).

Wednesday, I got as far as to a clerk—and was informed that 1-I didn't have the right forms, (1) and 2-the forms I had, weren't filled out properly. The rub was—my sister hadn't changed the title—so she couldn't “sell me the car” (since officially, without title, she didn't own it) So while I could register the car, (and did on Thursday) and I could put in for a change of title (and did that too, on Thursday) I couldn't buy the car (that is, have it titled in my name). So a whole bunch of different forms needed to be filled out (and signed by my sister).

Armed with a whole new set of forms, I returned to Hicksville (and then home)--but not with out a mishap.

No, the car is fine—it was a knitting loss! I had taken the socks with me to keep myself busy at the DMV—and just before I left—I went to use the ladies room. It was a bit of mess, and I looked for someplace reasonable clean (and dry) to put my tote bag (with paper work and plates from my old car) and another place to put my knitting bag. 

I had left the house with the knitting bag in the tote--but I had taken it out at the DMV while I got all the papers in order (or what I thought was in order). I never put the knitting bag back into the tote bag.

In the ladies room, they ended up separated--One by the sink, (tote with paper work) and the knitting on top of the empty paper towel holder  When I left the ladies room, remembered the paper work (easy enough--I used the sink)—but I left the knitting behind--I didn't bother to look for a paper towel (I knew the dispenser was empty) 

So one of my favorite little project bags, and a pair of needle, and socks (already started) and the rest of the yarn, and 2 pairs of scissors--(one very nice one, and one cheap pair), and a favorite pen—GONE. In addition, I had dumped some money in the bag--I stopped and picked up a quick breakfast at a drive through window, and had dumped the change ($16!) into the knitting bag “for the moment”--and never got around to putting it properly away.

Worse—I never realized I had forgotten the knitting--not till I was heading (one last time)  to Hicksville and the DMV on Thursday.--I might have had a scant hope of recovering it Wednesday—but not 24 hours later.

As an aside--Queens to Hicksville, from Hicksville to DMV (Garden City) back to Hicksville back to Queens—is about 50 miles,(each trip)--I used $20 worth of gas over the 3 days. Doing it 3 days in row—was tiring--mentally if not physically--especially when there was nothing to show for it!

The good news was Everything was order Thursday. I am now the registered driver (my sister is on the way to being the titled owner), her plates have been turned in, and she is now free to drop the insurance on the car. Sometime in the future (about 2 months from now) —when she gets the title there will be yet another trip to the DMV to transfer the title one more time (from her name, to mine).

In the general scope of things, most people wouldn't pay for a car with out getting the title—but it's easy to trust my sister—so its not a problem.

I didn't get any work done on the shawl—232 is the last round completed—but on the other hand, I had the good sense to take socks with me to the DMV—and I lost socks (a sad loss) but in the scope of things—not an unmanageable one. The loss of the shawl would have been--well devastating!

And now, I have a good looking (my old car had spent a number of years parked on the street—and had the bumps, dents, and scrapes that one can expect after 20 years of public exposure), newer (half the age of the old one, with half the mileage) with a whole bunch more features (a CD player, not a tape cassette one!)

As I said in the first sentence, All in all, there are more gains than losses.