Pictures from Detroit

I tried to post these with my last blog entry but ran out of time on my lunch break and had to cut it short. Enjoy! And yes, Rob, to answer your question... this is going somewhere! :) Let's make it official and clear up any questions - Barak and I are back together (and extremely happy, as you can tell by the pictures!) :)

Adventures in Detroit, and Beyond...

This past weekend was very exciting! I took a long weekend for Easter and flew up to Detroit for a little adventure with Barak, Willie, and Bill Davis. As usual, it left us with many memories and funny stories about our random little adventures! We got a snazzy little rental car and putted around in the snow (yes, SNOW in April) for a few days, enjoying Mongolian BBQ on Main Street, church services at a Detroit landmark, and lunch in Canada. That's right, Canada! My 9th grade geography teacher would be very disappointed, but I never realized that Canada bordered Detroit. But go figure, as soon as we exited church, there was the tunnel straight to the world of ice hockey, eh! So, we figured we'd head across the border for lunch. As we drove around, I realized how depressing it must be to live someplace where the warmest spot is equivalent to our country's coldest spot! But it was a nice little uneventful drive & lunch around Windsor. That is, until we tried to get back to our homeland. Apparently years of crossing into Mexico without having to show much more than a driver's license messed with our minds, because we didn't even think that there would be any problem with our return trip. After all, how big is the illegal immigration problem along the Canadian border, really? But we soon found out that we were wrong when our Border Patrol agent all but threatened to keep us out of the USA for good! Actually, he was very nice but was definitely confused by the fact that we were a car full of Californians in Michigan, one of whom has a Kentucky license and another who lives in North Carolina, and we just happened to be spending Easter lunch in Canada! We tried to become friends and asked him questions about his daughter who is a dancer and spends a year or two at a time living in different states. "You see," I tried to explain, "we are kind of like your daughter...moving around to different states right now, just not as a dancer." To which he exclaimed, "What?!?! You're exotic dancers???" I'm not sure if that's what got us back in the country or not, but whatever the case, I am back home again! For more stories about our adventures, check out Barak's blog: www.operationd-town.blogspot.com. And I will post a separate one to chronicle my journey back home. Let's just say, it wasn't funny at the time, but I can laugh about it now! And I'll post some of this weekend's pics too.

Now that's what I call customer service!

I had one of my greatest North Carolina experiences so far this past weekend. You always hear about how the cost of living is so much less outside of CA, but I haven't found that to be true, outside of housing itself. Clothing is the same, personal products are the same, Target is Target no matter what side of the country you're on, and groceries tend to even be slightly more expensive out here.

However, I have now discovered the beauty of an inexpensive oil change!

I have to admit, right up there with being sad about leaving my friends, family, church, and the city I loved, I actually had the thought "...and I'll have to find a new Honda dealership too..." as I drove out of L.A three months ago.

I loved my Honda dealership in Simi Valley! This may sound silly, but I really did! They always treated me so well and twice a year I received coupons for $10 off an oil change. I looked forward to these special treats, as they made my oil change more affordable at 20 bucks a pop, rather than 30 (plus tax, of course). But the icing on the cake was that my $20 oil change also included shuttle service, a refill on my washer fluid, and an exterior car wash. Not bad, eh?

Well, the little light popped on the dash of Rocky recently, warning me that my oil life was at 10% and I knew it was time to schedule an appointment. I begrudgingly called "Honda of Lake Norman" and made an appointment, sighing at the fact that I'd have to pay full price and determined that I would never feel about them the way I felt about "my" Honda back home. Everything about them seemed dumb to me from their location, to their theme song, their entrance driveway, the way the service center was set up...

However, all my feelings changed instantly the moment I stepped up to the cashier who rang me up for a whopping total of $12.87!

"Does that price include the oil change?" I asked Ray, the cashier. He assured me it did - and I got the shuttle, car wash, and fluid top-off as well, not to mention a multi-point inspection under my hood, under the car, my tire pressure and tread checked, etc, etc. Still not believing him, I checked a few more times, eyeing him suspiciously as he swipped my debit card. There just had to be a catch somewhere!

"I hear they've started charging $24 at some places, but we've always been $9.95 plus tax" he told me. My jaw dropped as I explained to him that "back where I come from" this same service was at least $30. I happily signed my receipt and walked out to my car, only to realize that I had dropped my cell phone into the Bermuda Triangle under my passenger seat and couldn't find it if my life depended on it. And you know what? Ray himself came out with his cell phone to call my number and climb around on his knees looking through every nook and cranny of my car until he retrieved my phone! And yes, even this service was included in my price of $9.95!

I can honestly say that an oil change has never made me so happy before. I'm thinking of making the Lake Norman Honda theme song my new cell phone ring...