cars

Cars. They're funny things, aren't they? I haven't posted for a while - consider it a combination of business and laziness - but at some point in that time I've been thinking of getting a new car. Most people would ask - why? It's a depreciating asset, don't waste your money etc etc. Well, here's my reasoning (however flawed it may be):

• I want a new car just for the sake of change;
• It doesn't feel right spending $600 to fix my current car when something goes wrong, especially when it's only worth $2-3k;
• A new car will be under warranty for a few years, which will provide me with peace of mind;
• Unlike my current car, I know I'll actually look after a new car and keep it clean;
• I could be cool and have a cool car.

Anyway, last week I finally got around to fixing up the body damage on my car from the accident. $500 got me a decent enough job without having to buy replacement parts. So then came the hard bit - deciding what to get. I wanted a brand new car, so I wouldn't have any worries with it and so that it could last.

I would have loved a Subaru Liberty GT tuned by STI. They only make 300 of them a year. I knew this was beyond my budget without even looking at how much exactly it would cost me.

Dropping down a rung would mean getting a standard Liberty GT. Still pretty nice, but $55k. Still out of reach I think. Also insurance would be a nightmare - turbo and under 25 don't really go together very well in that regard. Fuel wouldn't be too pretty a sight either - my current car is quite fuel efficient.

Lowering my expectations even more got me to the standard Liberty. At $35k plus on roads etc it was reasonably priced. I've managed to track down an ex-demo 2008 Liberty for $35k drive away, and if I can manage to get $3k from my car and get the price down a bit, I should only need to fork out about $30k.

I have enough saved up. The question is whether I blow it on the car, or spend some of it on a deposit for the car and finance the rest. I'd save interest if I bought it with cash, but its my "life" savings, something I'd rather hang onto for a rainy day - you never know when you might get to a stage where you need some cash.

Anyway I'm off to check the car out on Saturday morning, so we'll see what happens. I'll have to see what their finance deals are like and decide from there. The problem is that I don't actually need a new car, but now that I've thought about getting the car I really really want the car. I'm sure you know what its like, the anticipation of getting a new toy. You just want it right now. I'm probably better off waiting until towards the end of the year, when I've saved more up and might be in a better position to buy it.

We shall see. Car salemen can be quite convincing. Bastards.

dial-up

For the last week or two I've been down to dial-up internet speeds here at home. It sucks. Admittedly until about half a year ago, all I had ever known at home was dial-up. I think I had it for about 6 years. It was dodgy dial-up too. Was slower than your average dial-up, and would disconnect fairly often for no apparent reason. The worst thing was that I was so used to it. When my computer would freeze up for a second I knew that it was disconnected, and just got ready to reconnect. Friends I was chatting to online would figure it out and wait patiently for me to get back online. I wouldn't bother downloading attachments and files over 1 megabyte at home. The connecting tone became just a regular background noise.

Anyway, now that I've had a bit of a taste of awesome super-fast cable internet, it just doesn't feel right, having to wait for pages to load. Especially when the internet at work is now fast too. At least it doesn't disconnect on me every few minutes...

gold coast mayoral candidate guide

It's that time again - election time. All I hear on the radio is telling who to vote/not vote for. All I see on TV is ads telling you who to vote/not vote for. Signs up everywhere telling you who to vote for. Promises here, there and everywhere. Yet somehow I managed to forget that I have to vote tomorrow. I got a letter a few weeks ago saying what to do, where to do and some piece of paper that I was supposed to bring along with me on the day, but I've lost it. Anyway, lets see who's running for the title of Gold Coast Mayor this year:

Ron Clarke, Independent:
The current Mayor, looking to hang on to his title. Was a champion athlete who broke like 17 world records or something like that. Ads on the radio tell me that he's too old. He's 71. Maybe they have a point.

Tom Tate, Liberals:
Looks and sounds like a loser. Is a civil engineer though, so I guess that's where I can relate to him. I guess he's the Gold Coast version of Brisbane's own Can Do Campbell. Part owner of the Gold Coast Blaze basketball team, which is cool.

Rob Molhoek, Unite GC:
Has an unprenounceable surname, something that his radio ads focus on - apparently spoken by people who have known him for ages, still can't pronounce his last name but he's a good bloke anyway. So what, if you can't pronounce someone's name they're an idiot? Anyway, he's a shareholder and founding director of the Gold Coast Titans NRL team. That's cooler than owning part of the Blaze.

John Bradford, Independent:
Not really sure about this guy, he has a bald head and glasses from the signs I see on the way to work with his face plastered on them. Admittedly I've only ever seen two of these signs, and both are in front of the same house.

Ray Schearer, Independent:
Another no-name. Apparently has a US accent and was a professional dog trainer.

Anyway that's the lineup. Notable missing faces are Warwick Capper (the attention-seeking tool with the short shorts) and Elvis impersonator Dean Vegas (who forgot to put his nomination in on time). Based on all that, I think I can make a better decision on who to vote for.

I'm off to watch the Titans play the season opener against the Cowboys tonight, so I may as well vote for Rob Mohawk. Mullhook. Mowhulk. Whatever. How's that for logic?

return of the fried rice

Fried rice made me sick today. Knew something was up when it smelled a bit funny. But no, despite the warning signs my stomach was hungry (I hadn't eaten anything all morning and needed some brunch) and I ate it. Anyway, without going into any detail it didn't turn out very well at all...

Reminded me of the time I ate that seafood sub that had been in the bottom of a bag for 12 hours, that was nasty... At least this time I was at home, didn't have an assignment due, or require a needle in my backside.

nick the barber

Got a haircut today. Usually I go to Bob the Barber, who charges $12. Problem is that its about a 10 minute drive from home and so I really only get the chance to go on Saturday mornings, for which they're open till noon. Saturday mornings aren't really my thing, so it doesn't work to well. Today during my lunch break I decided to go try out Nick the Barber, who charges $13 a cut but is only a couple of blocks away from the office.

This guy was an interesting one. When I got there, there were no other customers and there was this portly European man of about 50, pacing around the little shop on his mobile phone, complaining about something. Anyway, I sit down and a few minutes later he's done and asks what I want. Just as I'm about to start giving him directions, he excuses himself for a second to change the TV channel to the cricket, which was just about to start. Then he starts giving me recommendations on what would look good on me. I just agreed and said whatever.

The cutting begins. He was surprisingly bouncy and energetic and all over the place as he started cutting, as if he was being shot at whilst cutting my hair. To make things worse he kept turning to look at the cricket. Unfortunately I couldn't really see what was happening with the match as the TV was directly to my left. Anyway, he continues snipping away, giving a running commentary on what exactly he was doing to my hair, asking my opinion on it and assuring me by telling me how great it is. All this time, his belly keeps pushing up against me as he tries to get closer to my hair, which was not cool at all. Besides that, he actually did a good job, really took his time and kept giving me hints and tips.

At the end of the day I still have my ears, so it's all good. Better than the $20 rush jobs you get at Red Mo Barber Shack.