Ottomobeeeel?

I own a car again! A car! A car with air conditioning! And power stearing! And even power windows and power locks and power mirrors! A car that doesn't have rust all over it! A car with a CD player that works! And seats that are whole and don't have chunks of foam coming off! A car that doesn't embarass me when I drive through nice neighborhoods! A CAR!!! Woo hoo!

So, the basic story is that after the Horrific Insurance Ordeal (which has still scarred me too much to discuss in great detail), we discovered that we could not afford to get Tim his beloved Saab. So we decided to just get me a little sedan instead. The Saab will come in a couple years once Tim is no longer a "new" driver and we can afford to insure his hiney as it sits in a swanky European car.

So what did I get? Nothing fancy. Just a white Corolla. I tried the Yaris, but the ride wa a bit rough. At any rate, it's mine! And it drives sooooo smoothly. So I can get out of the house whenever I please now. Hooray! I missed my independence sooooo much!

In other car news, today was the Grand Prix race in Monte Carlo. If you don't care about Formula One or don't want to know about the results, stop reading NOW.

"... Lalalalalala - I'm not listening! - lalalalalalala ..."

So. Do I think Michael screwed up Qualifying on purpose? Hmmm. There's a tiny itsy bitsy part of me that wants to think that he's a better sportsman than that. But whether it was on purpose or not, his actions screwed up the final fast lap for a lot of the drivers. If it had just affected Alonso, I could see why they might push Mike back just a few spots. But since it affected the qualifying results for multiple drivers, then he deserved something more severe. Deserved it, beyotch! And I think he started the race from pit lane because his pride wouldn't allow him to start in last. Whatevs!

By the by, YAY Alonso! I love that Spaniard and his wooly eyebrows! But why on earth is he going to McLaren next year?!? Is there a part of him that is regretting that decision? Tim and I have argued back and forth about this for a while. Tim thinks that it's a good move because (a) it'll provide a new challenge for Alonso & his competitive spirit will feed off of that and (b) it worked for Michael Schumacher when he left a winning season at Benneton for Ferrari. I still wonder why Alonso has to mess up a good thing. I think that next year the one who is going to profit from this is Kimmi. But, in many ways, that's a good thing.

Ah Kimmi. Kimmi Kimmi Kimmi. Does that kid have rotten luck or what? Poor soul. I blame the diamonds on the steering wheel. I know he had diamonds on his helmet last year and he did great and blahblahblah. But maybe even-numbered years and diamonds don't mix. We all remember the '04 Monaco race when they placed the diamonds on the nose of the Jaguars, right? And the driver crashed and half a million dollars worth of sparklies were gone forever? Same thing. Diamond curse. That and the safety car & its affect on those damn McLaren engines. Sigh.

I'm also heartbroken about Nico just because he's a cute kid & I want him to succeed. But it sure was great to see Mr. Thunderbird up in that podium, huh? David Coulthard + Superman cape + the silliest grin ever = fine entertainment.

And if you haven't already, I urge you to read the transcript of the post-race press conference. Juan Pablo's reply to the final question is priceless. Eat that, Schumie!