First was a check from the Advertising company that used the picture I took of Laurel Wassner at Uberman last summer, and they turned it into a Nike/Livestrong Ad.
Second was a new set of credit cards we had to activate. Yes, I realize that’s not my money and that there are really big interest rates that go with that. The card is actually a card we don’t use all that much but we’ve had it for years. Anyhow, when I call to activate. The guy at the other end was in full on sales mode. Typically I tell them to cut to the chase let’s get this card activated and be done with it. Which I was kind of in the middle of doing when he mentioned that it appears I haven’t cashed in any of our awards points. Alright, maybe I should listen and find out just how many magazine subscriptions I’m going to be “awarded”. Well it happens to be a bit better than that, you can trade them in for gift cards to Best Buy, Amazon and other retail places like that. He says if I trade all the points in I’d have over $300. Nice! Maybe we should use this card more often. Ha ha.
That covers the plus side of the cash flow situation. Because the world is always seeking balance, let’s take a look at the outgoing from the last week.
Well we wrote our last check to our contractor (not the original one, we had to fire him), they are just cleaning stuff out at this point. It seems that we survived the projects. We have a ton to finish ourselves ($$) but at least people aren’t in our house anymore. Maybe I'll finally post some pictures of the before and after.
The 2001 Jetta had to have a new front hub and wheel bearings replaced on both sides last week. That was about $600. I think there are issues with the rear wheels as well, so I’m probably not done spending money there.
The 2002 TDI Golf, well at 170,000 miles I think the transmission is starting to have problems. So we were at the Dealer on Friday after work and we took a test drive of the 2010 Jetta Wagon TDI. It’s very familiar feeling although there are a couple things of note. It doesn’t sound like a lawn tractor. Also it’s 140 HP vs the 90 HP we currently have and the new shifting is very quick/smooth. When decelerating it actually felt a bit like driving a stick, there was engine compression in the mix. Of course it has a ton of new features that didn’t exist back in 2002. Bluetooth built in for your cell phones and your contacts will load onto the LCD display of the dash. iPod dock, again integrated into the LCD display and stereo controls. The sunroof is nearly the entire roof of the car. I’m not sure I’m a big fan of that but it will make it easier to look up and make sure our bikes are still attached to the roof of the car. The one thing I think the car is missing and I’m curious how much it would be missed. A center console arm rest. Unless I missed something, there doesn’t seem to be one.
If we end up buying this car that would mean we would have two Jetta Wagons which is kind of odd. The old one is a V6 so 26mpg is about as much as you can hope for. This TDI would get us 41mpg which is in line with with the Golf it would be replacing. Genine drives 500+ miles a week, it adds up quickly.
It’s an expensive car (in my opinion) I’m certainly looking at other options. If you have a suggestion let me know.
All right enough of that, back to triathlon related stuff. I overslept my Saturday morning run with Todd. I’ve got to get back on my early morning wakeup plan.
I suppose the fact I missed the run meant that when we went biking with Maija in the afternoon, I had fresh legs and was able to stay closer than I typically do.
Sunday: the 4 mile race which I already posted about. Later in the afternoon Genine and I got to the pool and finished 2500m. I was really focusing on my left arm. I think my arm recovery is getting better. Now I think my biggest question is my pull. At the latest when we do the video analysis on May 1st, I’m hoping I’ll get a ton of feedback on this. I feel like I have 3 different ways of pulling and I switch between them as I fatigue. I’m not sure if that’s really the case but I’m sure it’s worth looking at.
As for next weekend, I’m torn as to what I want to do. Of course there is yet another 4 mile run in Central Park which would go towards my 9+1. If Todd is signed up and is going to run, I’ll likely do that. The other draw to Manhattan is that there is a MultiSport Expo going on that day. I haven't looked into this too closely but it looks like it could be interesting.
The other option is an Event in NJ called Miles for Mathney. There are runs and bike rides as part of this event and it supports a good cause. Their one bike route is 56 miles of hills, I keep saying I need to bike the Half Iron distance more than once before Timberman this year. This would be a step in the right direction.
Edit: As I was walking around NYC during lunch on Monday, I picked up a $20 off the sidewalk. I look at the 3 people that were in the area, holding the $20 up as if to say, did you drop this? The first 2 kept walking the other woman sitting there said, "it's yours now".
It's a shame that my "Won the Lottery" post didn't have the same follow through.
1 comment:
Spoke to Jerry about the car dilemma. He suggested you look at Honda's. He felt like his Honda accord was indestructible. Of course I don't know that they have a wagon option/ hatch back...well wait they do have one weird looking one but dude..I forbid you to buy that! So far I have been very happy with my Pilot (mileage isn't what you are looking for though). Have you ruled out the Element? I know you were investigating that at one time. It only took us 2-3 years to finally decide and purchase. Let's hope you are a bit more efficient.
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