Cash for My Clunker

I try to show the brighter side of my life, not the warts, but let me tell you, there is a lot that goes into having a business, and it's not all fun and it usually involves an expenditure; one issue is how to cart your merchandise around. When I did my initial business plan, I skipped this aspect. I budgeted for the purchase of merchandise, but not the transport once it arrived. In retrospect, I think I had the idea that I should wait and see how it goes, sort of like buying a full tennis wardrobe without setting foot on the court. I used my Prius and rental trucks for a while, but I like to have lots of merch, so last fall I traded use of my Corolla for my brother in law's van. The van has definitely seen better days, and every tme I use it I pray it makes it home. It did help us out a lot getting the Christmas tree home, I remember. Anyway, two weeks ago I took it in to get the door fixed, since the driver's side door, rear doors and sliding doors all have gone out in succession. They got fixed, and that lasted a week. Then the driver's side door refused to open, and today in Palisades the sliding door broke again.

Kailea and I went to the hardware store there and I directed her to suture the sliding door closed with the duct tape we just bought. so baskets would not spill out on the 405 Freeway. The problem was, in doing so, she also taped shut the only door that worked, the passenger side door. Arggh. She climbed in through the window. I dropped her off in Manhattan Beach on the way home (she went again through the window), and when I finally got home I also climbed out the window. Arggh.

This is her Dad's car, and we agreed that it was time to trade it in, this vehicle held together with baling wire and bubble gum and duct tape. I told her there was a program called Cash for Clunkers, that you could trade in your old car for a new one and get up to $4500 break. She had not heard of it; reminded me of being in the grocery store 2 weeks ago with 2 homeless people behind me: "Oh my goodness, Michael Jackson died!" Where have they been- he's been dead for 3 weeks with memorial and all. Cash for Clunkers has been in the news every day now; they had a funding deadline of November, but they ran out of funds almost immediately but Congress voted to extend the program. I don't think cargo vans qualify for the new purchases under the plan since they essentially get terrible mileage, but I will keep investigating.

Meanwhile, one block down the street, a young man in an SUV managed to run over two street signs, a big mailbox and a crosswalk sign, before coming to rest against some bushes and a street sign. I think he was being cited for something, judging from the 5 police officers on scene with ticket books in hand. We were all in awe; it would be hard to do that much damage if you tried, we thought! No one was injured, including the driver, but he sure did flatten the mailbox, didn't he!!?