blueswede

who's gonna drive you home tonight?

So here I am, sitting at home, when I should have begun the
long journey back to campus by now. Amtrak stuck me with a
nice four-hour delay, so now the train that was supposed to
leave here at 9:30 probably won't be leaving until 2:00 AM.

This is the latest in a string of travel experiences making
me rethink my current methods of getting around. It's like
there aren't any reliable transit services anymore; airlines
screw up, trains get delayed, and nobody seems to care. I'm
beginning to think I need a car.

It's not the sort of decision I can make lightly, as I don't
have THAT much money, but it is a possibility. I don't much
like the idea of paying close to $300 for parking on campus,
but my parents might be willing to chip in on that, since it
would save rail and airline fares.

I guess the real issue is whether the added value of having
a car would justify the cost. On one hand, I'll be able to
get off campus easily and go to the store or to restaurants
or the mall with ease, and that could be a very good thing.
On the other hand, I've gotten by without a car this far, so
maybe it's unnecessary.

That said, it would be helpful in situations like this. No
longer would I be dependent on airline and train schedules,
and no longer would I have any real travel restrictions. I
would be able to leave when I want, stop where I want, pack
whatever I want, and probably arrive sooner than by rail or
plane. I would have total autonomy in travel.

But of course, there are costs in everything. My insurance
would go way the hell up with a car in my possession, and I
might not be able to afford that. Plus there is the matter
of buying a car in the first place. It would probably cost
me about $1500 to buy my father's old car (as it is still in
good condition), and that's the majority of my money.

I guess a lot will depend on what happens this summer. If,
by some stroke of luck, I get an internship that pays well,
then a car may suddenly become much more affordable, and it
might make sense for my to buy a car. If, however, I end up
relaxing and working out for three months again, a car could
be a very unwise purchase. So we'll see what happens.

In other news, the scarf didn't even get started, much less
completed. I'm taking some gear back to campus with me so I
can practice techniques, and I'll probably try to get going
on it when spring break rolls around. Unless, of course, I
find myself going to Mexico or New Orleans or someplace, in
which case it'll probably become a summer project.

You would think that as much as I procrastinate, things like
train delays wouldn't bother me so much.

This is Dave, signing off.