A new experience

Car sales people fighting for my business. This is a totally new experience for me, and I love it! Didn't have the green color I wanted in stock without the sunroof, then I guess we'll have to give you the one with the sunroof for the same price. Oh, but wait, says the other one, I can get you a lower payment, and no documentation fee. Looking very Carmy, the color of my winter coat, with the sunroof, and the seriously nice floormats. What more could a girl want?

Can I take it home with me?

10 days later, still don't have a car. Why does it have to take so long? Thinking, planning, driving, negotiating, picking a color, new or used, buy or lease, it all just takes time.

Right now we're down to a Toyota Camry, or a Honda Accord. Both new. Is a sunroof a want or a need? Aloe Green or Metal Grey?

My head is spinning, and my mother in law wants her car back. Can you blame her?

Actually ate a burrito on a salesman's desk at 7:30 the other night. That's how desperate I've become. Sad, very sad.

Games people play

"Hi, my name is Kris, I'm a compulsive gamer."

That's the opening to the speech I'll be giving in class next week. Most people think that 18-year old boys play online games more than anyone else. That statistic has changed dramatically. I am a solitaire junkie. Current variety is Queen of Italy. Hours speed by when I'm at the keyboard. Is acknowledging the problem the first step to recovery? I can only hope.

Speaking of games, I'll be returning the car I bought Tuesday. It's a nice car, but not what we need right now. Wonder how that game will play out. Hmmm

Cars, gotta love 'em

Driving to a speaking engagement in central Nebraska when a new light appeared on the dashboard of my 1997 Honda Passport. I was used to the 'chk engine' and 'chk trns' lights, they'd been blinking for almost a year. But this light was red and equally cryptic, 'chk at tmp' like someone was texting from under the hood.

I ignored the light and kept driving. I was barely going to make it to Hastings in time to speak, what was I to do? The Honda was running fine, at least from the driver's seat, so I kept driving. When I got off the interstate and came to the first stop light I realized that something was seriously wrong. There was a serious "CLUNK" when it finally dropped into gear. Made it to the parking lot, dashed in, changed clothes, handed music to my accompanist, and smiled through the lunch until it was my turn to sing and eventually to speak.

After the presentation I tried the car. Nothing but reverse, and even that was questionable.

The remaining details of the next 24 hours are almost too painful to recount, so I'll spare you the details, and share only the highlights. Spoke and sang that evening and then spent the night in Grand Island with a dear cousin who took me in. The Honda was pronounced dead. I bought a car. Learned afterward that I agreed to pay entirely too much money for the car. Spoke in Aurora. Drove my new car home. Spent today on the phone with my 'sales consultant' who happens to be the son of a dear friend. Had to finally say -- look sweetie, I know you've only been selling cars for two months, and I know you haven't made your quota for the month, but I'm returning this one. Still have the car, it will be Saturday before I can return it. After that I will have no car again.

Does it get any more fun than that?

I Saw the Light

I can check one thing off my life list of To-do. I saw Todd Rundgren in concert at the Nebraska State Fair. There's no way to capture the experience, no way to even remember most of it, but I shall do my best to try.

Jeff and I went to the fair about 3. Weekday afternoons are perfect for quiet wandering, not much crowd. We saw quilts, and dresses, tomatoes and beer. All produced by the good people of Nebraska. Jeff would like to be a judge in the pastry competition next year. We'll have to work on that. The photography exhibition was inspiring. We watched children play with baby goats, and the baby goats play bumper cars with each other. We laughed at a goofy clown on a diving board. He wasn't diving into water at all, he had a trampoline! We walked the midway, just for the fun of it. Saw a great exhibition of all the food products developed in Nebraska, and an industrious colony of bees doing their best to contribute.

Then the event really began. I joined the line of early groupies at 5, Jeff went to take in more sites. Only a few of us took up positions to make sure we had the perfect place in the open air hall. Not that there's a bad spot, it only seats 6000. The sound check nearly brought tears to my eyes. There he was, singing "Let's Go" and I was hearing him live. Others yelled for his attention from beyond our chain link prison, I just stood in awe.

After the sound check some people wandered away. Others of us were left to visit with each other and talk with the young man at the gate. He has obviously had some experience with chemicals in his life, they were not kind to him. But he was pleasant enough, as were the others in our gang of instant friends. "Are you a Todd fan or a Cars fan?" Most of us were able to choose one or the other, but no one was disappointed these elements would be sharing the stage.

Our friends Kim and Anita joined us after 5. Kim had scored a VIP pass. That entitled him to dinner and a meet-and-greet with the band. Jeff and Anita went in search of food and beverage. I stayed in line. Something about being there in anticipation of the concert to come kept me riveted to my spot.

At 6 the plastic strip barrier with the diamond shaped flags came down with an admonition from the gate staff to please walk. Okay, whatever. Like any of us were the type to sprint. We had just been swapping grandkid pictures, we weren't running anywhere. I walked down the aisle from the back of the house, my hand like a divining rod held out over the wooden bleachers sensing for just the right spot. Jeff and Anita joined me and the one hour wait to concert time began. We chatted with the folks around us, shared our reviews of the t-shirt selection available, and swapped concert stories.

Meanwhile Kim was off meeting the band. It was a line of folks paraded past the band like they were royals. A quick hand shake, one group photo -- no private cameras allowed -- and they were out the door. Kim was able to yell, "Hey Todd, when's the next album coming out?" Todd yelled back, "This spring, and I like your t-shirt!" It was The Who concert shirt from a few years back. Good choice Kim.

This is where words will fail me. Live music is better than recorded, like books are almost always better than movies. Even with the difficult acoustics in the barn of a building, and the mix that took some time to get just right, there was not a disappointing moment in the hour-and-a-half concert. "Drive" the Cars classic that asks the question, "Who's gonna drive you home tonight?" was the musical non-Todd moment of the night for me.

"It was late last night,
I was feeling something wasn't right,
There was not another soul in sight, Only you, only you.
So we walked along, though I knew that there was something wrong,
And a feeling hit me oh so strong about you,
Then you gazed up at me and the answer was plain to see,
Cause I saw the light in your eyes."

Song by Todd Rundgren, written in 1972 for the album "Something/Anything?" and performed wonderfully last night in Lincoln, Nebraska. Isn't that the way we know the truth about anyone in our life? Don't you have to get close enough to look into their eyes? I was pretty close to Todd last night, close enough to have taken the amazing picture here, though that credit goes to Kim. Still not close enough to see the light in Todd's eyes, but he has touched me musically for many years and last night's encounter was an amazing treat. Todd is an incredible musician, talent that rivals many in the rock world. He's in his mid 50's and yet his passion is raw and vibrant in concert. The music pours from him like sweat on a hot August night in Nebraska.

Note to my beloved niece Erin: I did not throw panties, nor did I have the opportunity to talk to Todd. Had I been given that privilege I would have asked him how his trip was and if he was enjoying his visit to Nebraska. Would that have been okay?

Once a Day

My darling husband Jeff says one funny thing per day. It's not like he plans it, life just happens that way.

Saturday we were camped out in lawn chairs on the main street of town watching classic and hot rod cars cruise by. Americruise comes to Lincoln every June and it's a blast. A 1930s Chrysler painted a lovely cameo pink rolls by. Jeff says, "Oh look, the first Mary Kay car."

He's too cute.