Era of Perpetual Bachelordom, Day 499: All Hail the Car

So, after like, a month, I finally have a car. Your winner is the Ford Fusion Hybrid, which by all accounts is completely awesome, and so far I agree. I closed out the paperwork and wrote the biggest check ever last Friday, and so far those that have seen it or ridden in it unanimously approve. Getting it was a bit of an adventure. There was about a week of indecision, then I finally decided on the model, except the hybrids are scarce. I checked with the nearest dealership, and they said there was one that was more or less what I wanted down in Kirkwood and they could get it in a day or so. Four days later (two weeks in), still no sign of it. After a bit of calling and whining I managed to find out that it was somewhere between the factory and the dealership having a potential glitch in the brakes fixed. Said glitch had been mentioned in the news a bit as "not as bad as what Toyota was going through." Anyway, by that point, the dealership agreed to lend me a Fusion non-hybrid, which was good because at that point the rental car fee exceeded what a new alternator would have cost me. And two weeks later, after I ran up quite a few miles on their other new car, they finally got mine in. And here it is. So, many lessons learned. Among others, always finance through the bank. Or don't finance at all. Even the dealer's best rates aren't that great.

Anyway, while that was going on a bunch of other stuff also happened. The Great Fugue got played the week before Transfiguration. Seeing as I don't have another Sunday until Easter and it really doesn't go there, that was my best bet. And it went quite well, although people generally don't stick around until the end of a 6 minute fugue, so it's going to be really hard for me to justify anything much longer than that.

2nd proof of concept for the Concerto also happened roughly a week later. I had the whole thing all ready to go more or less, but all he really wanted to hear was most of the 2nd movement again to establish greater musicianship and maturity. And it worked, either because I've established greater musicianship and maturity or else because that piano in that space really agreed with the 2nd movement, or most likely some combination thereof. Incidentally, this was at the church where we play our February concert at which we may or may not be able to play again next year because the crowd overflowed so much... good problem to have. At any rate, it's going on next concert season at some point- I'll find out when along with everyone else round about August. Theory number 1 is in September, theory number 2 is next February, assuming we're in the church again. The trick will be keeping it fresh until then. It's hibernating now- I'd run it into the ground otherwise.