This week's Ledger

PLUS:

• A trip to the new dentist, which didn't feature too much scraping with the metal hook thingy. That sound rattling around in my head drives me fucking crazy.
  
• A good steak.
• Lost continues to rock the world.
• A double feature that included The Other Boleyn Girl and Death Proof. The former was good as a costume drama with an underplaying ScarJo and a bitchy, manipulative Queen Amidala (sadly, the accusations of incest in 16th century England weren't directed toward the sisters), though Henry VIII remained something of a cipher. The latter was a rollicking Tarantino thing with exceptional stunt driving, a slimy and entertaining Kurt Russell and an adorable Zoe Bell (who will be appearing soon on the freighter on Lost).
• Friday night cocktails.
• New windshield wipers. I didn't realize until I got new ones how ineffective and noisy the old ones were.
• The one little c-store who gives me a free Bic when I buy ciggies. It almost takes the sting out of being taxed enough to provoke a tea dumping in the harbor incident.
• This little beauty. In a perfect world, I'd have a connection/dock in each room of my surround sound wired house to access the iTunes. But here in the shitty cardboard box called "home," this works wonderfully in a pinch. Great reviews, good sound for what it is and a handy carrying case. Carrying cases really make a difference for the OCD enlightened.

MINUS:

• Going to get the 60,000 mile check on the vehicle and getting a huge bill (though this is known as the "big one" for drivers of Teutonic wheels). And not only that, but having them "recommend" another two grand worth of brand work.
• The dealership itself here. Back in the motherland, I was used to making an appointment at a specific time, pulling right up into the covered bay and having someone greet me immediately and get everything handled quickly. And if I chose to wait, I had a top shelf coffee maker, wi-fi and HD TV to keep me company in a luxurious atmosphere. Here, you get in a long line and wait until they call you, and even though they recently moved into a new facility, it still strikes me as more Goober's garage and less high-end dealership. Plus, they forgot to vacuum the car, which pisses me off, since I don't have a garage with a handy shop vac ready and waiting.