mychai's Diaryland Diary

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A BMW + the Autobahn = More fun than you can shake a stick at...

I was going to rent a little four-door economy cheapo car this weekend.

But when I went to the car rental place, they showed me their selection of economy cars, and I was less than impressed. A single, (almost) twenty-seven year-old guy who isn�t hideous and, let�s admit it, is quite charming, should not go gallivanting around Europe in a little Volkswagen Golf that looks like this:

When they quoted me the cost of that car, I asked how much the brand new, 2005 BMW would cost. Ten dollars more, she said. Hm. Decision time.

Yeah, I got the BMW. And such a fine piece of machinery it was to drive, too. Being as knowledgeable about cars as a lump of dirt, I couldn't give you any specs on it. All I know is that when I go down the autobahn at 180kph (roughly 108mph) and press the gas down, I still feel a little pressure against the seat as I sail past 200kph (roughly 120mph). And it feels like I might as well have been going 20mph through a school zone, it was so smooth.

Man, what a fun ride. Fun, fun ride. I got more fun out of that car than I probably would have out of a girl for just as long.

I actually got it to spend a day with a girl. California Christina from a few days ago. We went up to the monastery that I went to several months ago, hoping for an equally nice day as when I went with Brookey-Brooke. Unfortunately, fall has arrived in Europe early, and with fall comes the infamously crappy weather. It was overcast and rainy for the entire trip, which sucked. I had hoped to walk all around the monastery where they have nature trails and such. I wanted to sit outside and drink a liter of beer and eat some brots.

But, alas. We sat inside, talked to some Germans, ate pork knuckles with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, and drank a half liter of awesome Monk Beer. If that's what the Heavenly Hosts drink while walking down the streets of gold, then sign my ass up!

We were heading back home, and California Christina had to pee. So, we stopped off at a mini-mall. It was to be a quick, five-minute stop.

Ok. Fifteen minutes. I had to, umm� drop the kids off at the pool, if you get my drift.

An hour later, we wheeled out of the mini-mall with 100� of stuff. California bought a palm tree, two potted plants, a bag of dirt (why people buy dirt, I don't know. Must be a California thing�), and pots for her plants.

I bought a whole case of Kinder Eggs.

That link shows one Kinder Egg to be $2. Holy crap! I would never buy one if it cost $2, much less a whole case of them. They run about fifty Euro cents here, and they are so much fun! You get an egg of dark and white chocolate with a toy on the inside. And it's not the crappy toy you'd expect to get in the middle of a chocolate egg, either. This is a typical toy you'd get in a Kinder Egg. They are nicely colored, of good quality, and usually do something kinda neat.

The one Kinder Egg I opened today had a toaster oven with a little face and arms. You pull down on one arm and the other arm pops up a piece of toast. Yeah, ok. So, it's cheap childish fun. But it is great entertainment when driving down the autobahn or stuck in a stau.

It was a fun trip. It felt really good to get off base for a while. I wish I didn't have to come back to work. But I only have a three-day week this workweek, so I'm not complaining. Plus, the weather is still really nice in the Mediterranean, which is where I am forecasting. So, it's easy sailing. That's why I am writing here.


My computer is on the fritz. Actually, the computer is nice, it's the keyboard that is messing up. My "i" key outputs "io", my "." key outputs ".,". And my left CTRL key doesn't work at all. I emailed HP and they said my keyboard driver may be warped and gave me directions on how to fix that up.

I forgot to tell them that I thought the connections may be dirty so popped off a few keys to give it a cleaning. And now� yeah� I can't put the keys back on. So, now I am sans "I" and "O" keys. That's why I am writing this at work.

If the whole "unwarping of the keyboard driver" thing works, I may take the computer over to the computer fix-it place and have them put the keys back on for me. So much for being Mr. Fix-It.


Oh, the car place where I rented this weekend's automobile loves doing long-term rentals. And it is basically cheaper than buying a new car with less of the hassle. I won't have to pay insurance since insurance comes with the rental. They pay all maintenance costs, change the tires when snow comes, and instantly replace the car if something breaks. It's better than a lease because it literally is a month-long rental.

All for the low, low price of about $275 a month. That's not for the BMW, mind you. It's for a cheaper, economy car, like the Golf above. But I don't need a Beemer for everyday driving here and there. I just need something to get me to and from the naked spa.

Which I love oh, so much.

This way, I won't have to worry about selling the car when I leave here, I don't have to worry about fixing a broken car (or, more specifically, I won't have to worry about taking it to the mechanic where they will tell me it will cost $1,000 to fix it), or anything. Sure, I won't get to keep it, but that's fine. This is a lot more convenient.

I'm seriously considering doing it.


Ok. That's it from the JP camp. I hope all of you are doing well.

I'll try to update more this week. I'm slowly getting back.

12:29 a.m. - Sunday, Aug. 29, 2004

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