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Monday, June 21, 2010

The Car Contemplation

This July marks the 2 year anniversary of our last move. We had rented our first Milwaukee apartment site-unseen off craigslist and were looking for an upgrade. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with our first place out here, but I felt that there had to be something better since we had neglected even to look at other options before picking it (we were too poor to head out here and look).

This July also marks the 2 year anniversary of being a one-car family. When we moved, we picked an apartment that was within walking distance of the Medical College of Wisconsin where Spencer goes to school and I go to work. We had 2 cars at the time, but quickly sold our second car, a silver Chevy Lumina, because it was getting old and starting to fall apart. Up till now, only having one car has worked out great. I don't need the car to get to my job and for the most part, Spencer is always just over at the hospital or back before I get off work. That leaves that car free for me on nights/weekends to run my errands, go shopping, hit the gym, or meet up with friends. On days Spencer is on call and at another hospital, I'll wake up extra early to drive him and then pick him up when he's finished. However, this system is slowly becoming less and less practical as he gets more and more involved in his medical traing. So, we began to contemplate the purchase of a second car.

Now, those who know me also know that I love cars. I don't know much about them mechanically, but I rather enjoy browsing the various new car (and even some classic/vintage old cars like the mini cooper) available on today's market. I know what I want for the most part, but it seems like there isn't really a car out there that fits exactly what I'm looking for. Plus, we only have one year of medical school left and in many ways it makes sense to hold off until we know where we'll be living and if we'll be moving (can't wait till March 17th!!). That in combination with the fact that I didn't really want to plunk down a huge down payment on a car meant that we began to look at alternative forms of transportation.

After a brief search this past weekend, I'm pleased to report that we are the proud new owners of a brand new scooter! You can see a general picture of what our awesome new mode of transportation looks like here. The only difference between the two is that ours is red. So far, I've driven it around the block and Spencer's driven it back from the dealer where we bought it. I'm still getting the hang of things, but Spencer's already a pro since he rode them all over Thailand. My mom's a little freaked out by the whole thing, but I'm enjoying the potential of freedom! No longer will I be stuck at the house while Spencer is off learning to be a doctor! No longer will I be limited by the distance I can pedal my bike! Instead I will hop on my scooter and scoot my way across town! Here's to a delightful new form of transportation.

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