Homework

Yesterday’s plan to be at the University 11:00 sharp, to capture new creatures and possibly level up before the 2:00 cutoff at February’s PokémonGo Community Day, was preempted by daughter’s schedule freeing up, giving her a day to go new car shopping with me.

It was a lengthy process. I was exhausted, she was exhausted, but we got it done.

She’s quite cute and totally me, even down to the leather upholstery, with red stitching that has a country/western saddle look about it.

Next door neighbor calls her car Maxine. Maybe I should name the Jeep “Horse”, even though she’s a girl.

It’s been 14 years since I bought a new car and a lot has changed.

So many bells and whistles for me to learn.

The salesman, of course, went over all the features, but it was too much for me to take in while I was tired and stressed out. Most of what he had to show me went in one ear out the other, and I don’t know why new car buying isn’t listed on the stress scale. Purchasing a home is listed as a 100-point stressor, so I’d place new car buying at 110.

I absorbed so little of what the salesman demonstrated that I even had to refer to the manual to lift the trunk, after I’d driven her home yesterday, so I could open the back and attach my parking sticker to the rear window -- only it wasn’t referred to as “trunk” in the manual, but “tailgate”.

Shows how far behind the times I am because to me “trunk” is the back of an automobile while “tailgate” is a party.

While sitting on the couch last night, looking through the homework, trying to absorb some of what I need to know to operate all the bells and whistles, the words “parking brake” jumped out.

Oh oh, thought I. Accustomed as I am to pulling a lever back to engage the brake, I totally forgot the salesman showed me that I am now to push a lever down.

It was 10:30 by then, no way was I going out in the cold and dark night. I wasn’t parked on a slope, so I figured the Jeep would make it through the night without rolling away.

On tap for today was heading back down to set the parking brake and figuring out how to turn off the heated steering wheel feature because, driving her from the lot to the complex, my hands were way too warm and I didn’t know how to turn it off.

As I’m a simple no-frills person, I have a feeling a lot of the bells and whistles will never be used. But I guess it’s better to have and no need to use, than it is to not have. Plus I got a great deal and a lifetime warranty.