I love my Escape

I had been researching new cars for over a year--decided that what I should try was a small crossover (CUV).  Something that would fit in our garage (rules out a lot of cars and most CUV/SUVs), but offer the convenience of an open, flat storage area.  For my yoga bins as well as mulch/topsoil/plants.  I did not enjoy driving our '09 Honda Accord--uncomfortable, and quite a step down from our '89 Toyota Avalon.  But I figured I would take the new car and have my son drive the old one.  Why do some Japanese cars, including the Honda, have headrests that tilt forward?  Incredibly uncomfortable, no matter where you position it.  And the leather on the seats felt stiff and cheap--again, the Avalon was so much more comfortable, with neutral (straighter) headrests.

My idea was that I'd drive the Accord for a few years, then we'd get rid of the Avalon and my son would get the Accord--a very nice starter car, but not a good "encore" purchase.  But we tend to hang on to cars until the bitter end--despite my arguments that we sink thousands of dollars into cars that aren't worth it.  So the most likely car-buying scenario was that some "final straw" engine problem would befall the Avalon--which meant we'd either need to get a car right away, or deal with the hassle and expense of renting a car.  Or worse, buy a car without doing enough research and exploring.

I relied very heavily on Edmunds for my research, combined with the "best car" lists from U.S. News and World Reports.  I had used Consumer Reports when I made the decision to buy the Honda--but after doing a lot of research from multiple sources, I realized that CR only cares about cost and MPG.  CR seems to have no interest in comfort/luxury or engine power--two things that are a must for this family.  (I go for comfort; my husband insists on powerful engines and is still bemoaning the loss of the V8.  I've had to gently break the news to him that V6s are on their way out.)  I also mentioned to my husband recently that I thought CR had a bias against domestic car manufacturers--he said that had been the rap against CR for a number of years.

If we had needed a car last year, the Chevy Equinox would have been at the top of my list.  I never went out and test drove that or the other top options (including VW Tiguan and Infiniti EX), because I didn't want to deal with car sales people when I couldn't tell them if or when I planned to buy a car.
I redid my research to consider '13 models, and saw that the newly redesigned Ford Escape was getting rave reviews and topped the U.S. News best small SUV list.  The Chevy Equinox was also high on the U.S. News list; the Infiniti EX topped the U.S. News best luxury small SUV list.  And they all would fit in our garage--that requirement ruled out all Lexus, Acura, and Audi, which otherwise get good reviews.  The Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 were non-starters--engines not powerful enough.

In March I finally decided it was time to move from Internet research to the real world--so I test drove the Chevy Equinox, Buick Encore, Ford Escape, Infinit EX and BMW 1.  I first test drove the Equinox, which has the most powerful engine of the lot--but was disappointed in the feel and comfort.  The sales person suggested I try the new Buick Encore.  Wonderfully upscale and comfortable--if I were using it as family room furniture, it would be great.  But it has a weak engine, so it was out.

I then test-drove the Escape and loved it--the seats felt really comfortable; the interior had cool high-tech features, and it drove really well.  I had to tell the sales person I was interested, but needed to test drive a couple other cars.  I didn't mention that our Avalon hadn't yet entirely bitten the dust, so wasn't sure when we'd actually need a new car.  He asked which other cars I was planning to test drive, and I said the Infiniti and BMW.  I'm guessing I may be the first person who didn't say CRV and RAV4.  But I do think the Escape should be compared to the luxury CUVs when considering price, not the cheap, weak engine ones.  I thought the Infiniti was really stiff--and I would have had to pay at least $10k more than the Escape for comparable features.  And don't get me started on the BMW.  Incredibly condescending sales person, with a CRV that was too small, tires that have to be replaced every time you drive over a nail...and a sales pitch that focuses on "how much can you afford to spend a month" as a price negotiator.  Do people have any idea what they're really paying for a car when they purchase those lease agreements?

About a month after my test drives, I got the call I'd been waiting for--the Avalon engine was shaking when my son drove it, and the interior was smoking up.  My husband told him to open a window--I told them my son needed to stop driving the car immediately and drive the Accord (I was out of town). As soon as I got home, we went to the Ford dealer and test drove the Escape again.  Two days later, after going back and forth on the features and packages, I drove off--very happily--with my black Ford Escape Titanum.  I actually try to think of places to drive now (I walk a lot of places).  Just so I can stand (OK, sit) above the crowd and try out all the cool technology.  I'm glad, for once, I bought "the works".

They Made Me Laugh

I sometimes imagine being a guest programmer on TCM, being asked to pick out movies that were meaningful in my life.  My childhood movie memories are mostly about movies that made me cry--and I cried easily.  The one I remember sobbing over more than any other was the Dog of Flanders--I remember nothing about the movie, except that someone beat a dog, and I sobbed and sobbed.  I haven't had the nerve to see the movie again.  Bambi's mother dying; Old Yeller being shot.  I rented Dumbo to watch with my nephew when he was about 5 and I was about 35; I burst into tears when they took Dumbo's mother away and chained her.  Perhaps the Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie; they showed it every year.  It mostly reminded me that we must have been the last people to get color TV, because Oz was a colorless as Kansas, and we didn't have to bother trying to adjust the set.  Judy Garland singing Over the Rainbow--it's a poignant, sad song that resonated with me more than any other song.  Because I wanted to fly away.  And even when I was in high school, I had to leave the room during the part with the flying monkeys--I still find them creepy and scary.

But the movies that mean the most to me are the ones that make me laugh.  I was a freshman at the University of Michigan, battling depression and anxiety--sometimes I would walk across the Diag doubled over in pain--not sure from what.  I had a binge eating disorder before it had a name.  In an era before cable TV, videos and DVDs, there were film guilds and series--one of my friends suggested we go.  They would show movies in the evening in various auditoriums around campus, and would attract long lines of students interested in film and looking for a diversion.  I saw many of the most famous movies for the first time--Casablanca, the Seventh Seal,  Key Largo, Sunset Boulevard.  The most memorable line from Casablanca--the one that got laughs and applause--was "...there are certain sections of New York, Major, I wouldn't advise you to try to invade..."  (After Michigan and Ohio, the largest number of students came from New York--many from NYC and suburbs.)

 But the movies  I remember most--that saved me, I believe--were the ones that made me laugh.  I had never seen a Marx Brothers movie, or a Charlie Chaplin film.  I had heard of Charlie Chaplin, but didn't really get why the Tramp was so well known.  I knew who Groucho Marx was, from You Bet Your Life, but for some reason the popular movie trio when I was growing up was the Three Stooges.  I didn't like, and didn't watch, their movies.  They never showed a Marx Brother movie on TV that I know of.  The first one I saw at Michigan wasn't even one of their best--it was called the Big Store.  But I laughed, and fell in love with Harpo.  I though the curly hair was real, and blonde--found out later it was a red wig, and was crushed when I learned he was bald.  I saw the Gold Rush, with some hilarious visuals, and the later Chaplin movies--Modern Times, the Great Dictator, City Lights.  And of course I went to every Marx Brother movie they showed--the Coconuts, Horse Feathers, A Day at the Races, Duck Soup, Animal Crackers.  But my favorite was a Night at the Opera--I couldn't catch my breath after the stateroom scene, I was laughing so hard.

I also discovered Alec Guinness and the Ealing comedies.  I knew who he was, from Bridge on the River Kwai, but had no idea he had done a series of brilliant comedies.  The Man in the White Suit was the first one I saw; it was a revelation--and hysterically funny in parts. I saw it on TCM some years back and it didn't seem quite as funny. But then again, I didn't laugh as hard at the stateroom scene when I saw years later--a lot of the humor was in the surprise.  My favorite Alec Guinness movie is Kind Hearts and Coronets--I didn't see that at Michigan, but on TCM--I wish they would show it again. It would be on my list, if I'm invited to guest host...

Of course, there are other movies that I count among my favorites--anything with William Holden (I love his voice);  Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright are also favorites--I love their voices); the Wizard of Oz, and, yes, Casablanca.  And there have been other movies since college that have made me laugh.  But the ones I saw in college, when I was struggling, mattered most, and meant the most.  They may have saved my life.

Root Rescue

I finally got up the nerve to try a root touch-up product.  I'm trying to save money (and time) by not coloring my hair too often; also likely not good for the hair.  But my hair grows quickly, and after 8 weeks there was a pretty wide grow-out at my part--with a not insignificant amount of grey hair.  I don't think it's that noticeable, because my hair puffs up around the part, but if I hold the hair down it's very visible.  And it's probably more noticeable when I bend forward.  And there's a lot of grey hair around my temples and front roots, where my forehead meets my hairline--those are visible when I wear a headband, which I do for yoga and exercise classes.

I had bought a Clairol root touch-up product a while back, but ended up throwing it away--I was worried that the colors wouldn't match, or I'd end up with some new sort of line along my part.  Recently I looked again and settled on L'Oreal's Root Rescue, since my hair salon uses L'Oreal coloring products.  I tried it this morning--not as messy as coloring used to be, apparently, but still requires combining liquids from two smelly vials.  Or the fumes develop once you add the Color Gel to the Conditioning Developer Creme.  I wish they would invent a root color product that didn't require mixing.  But obviously whatever they're currently using is highly volatile, because the instructions say "never leave the flat cap on the Conditioning Developer Creme Bottle after mixing.  The container may burst".  !!!  And don't even think about saving the left over stuff--there's much more than one could possibly use on the limited amount of root area that's accessible:  "do not save any unused mixture.  The container may burst."  So there--we have exploding hair color.

I'm glad I didn't read the "test this before you try it" instructions before I used the product--quite scary.  I assumed it would say to test it on a small patch of hair, wait. etc.  I didn't want to bother.  But I did read the "usage advisory" afterwards, since I do have sensitive skin and could easily have a reaction.  Root Rescue's instructions tell you to mix 1 1/2 parts Conditioning Developer Creme with 1 part Color Gel (like that's easy to figure out--and what if you get the combo wrong?) and then apply the mixture with a cotton ball to an area the size of a quarter in the bend of your elbow.  Which you're supposed to cleanse with soap and water before you mix the two ingredients.  Then you're not supposed to wash, cover or disturb (bolded on instructions) for 48 hours. !!!  And during those 48 hours, you're supposed to examine periodically the "test area"over the 48-hour period, and consult with a doctor if you experience any reactions--such as redness, burning, itching, swelling, skin abrasions, eruptions or irritation in or around the test area.  And it says to do this test each time before you use the product, even if you had no reaction the last time you used it.

I've only ever had one allergic reaction that landed me in the hospital--when the reaction started to affect my breathing and my tongue swelled up.  So now I'm imagining that my tongue is feeling weird. I can also smell the stuff, even though I've washed it out and shampooed my hair.  So now I imagine the poisons seeping through my scalp into my system.

All that said, the color looks really, really good--matches perfectly with the rest of my hair color, and did a good job of coloring greys.  But most of all, the grow-out along my part is gone.

But this may be the only time I have the nerve to use it, given the skin allergy test instructions.

And I still smell toxic...