Catching up, LA trip and Scooter Woes
Dec. 23rd, 2011 11:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
So trip to visit family in LA was... interesting. It was the first time that I've visited and there hasn't been anything 'wrong' with me. I'm not immature for watching cartoons, my clothing isn't a discrace because I'm not wearing current fashion, the fact that I'm happy where I am in life was okay for once, instead of me lacking because I don't have SO/kids/house/car/career.
It was unexpectedly nice.
Weird thing is that the Torrance Book-Off no longer sells Japanese Books. You have to go to Gardena for that. Strange.
The high and low point of the trip came pretty much simultaneously. Eldest troublemaking niece goaded the smallest niece into asking what my name was, because I call myself Icka, but respond to the name I grew up with.
As a joke, I told her she could call me 'Yasha the Poisoner'. She nodded and bounced off, to come back five minutes later, asking if she could call me 'Auntie Poison'.
Yes. Yes, you totally may. <3
Then my step-mom then told both nieces to refer to me by my full given name AND middle name.
Not funny, not cool. >_< You don't do that with names.
But as soon as I got back, my scooter died. As in, it's at 5,000 RPMs and I'm going under 10mph. There's power, it's just not going anywhere.
I've got some friends who work on bikes, but I feel bad for it feeling like I'm always going over with bike troubles, so took to a local shope, CSA.
The prognosis? Clutch/Transmission. The disks aren't spinning to change the speed.
They also had a Honda (Which is the brand I'd like, their small engines are practically bulletproof) scooter for $2400, which they said was a 150cc, like mine. Covering bases, I applied for a loan for the Honda. Also don't have -any- credit, so knew it'd be tricky.
Got word back on Monday that they found one, but it'd be $1,000 down and some 'provisions'. Including a 23.5% interest.
Asked if I could wait until Thursday, which is when I'd be able to scrape that much together, and see about those provisions.
Ultimately decided against it. 2 Major reasons:
- The bike is a 108cc, not 150cc. I'm looking for 150cc if I have to, but would prefer more along the lines of 250cc, so if I have to go on the freeway, it's okay.
- 23.5% of $1,800 is about $425. I can improve my credit for much less.
... from the looks on their faces, they weren't expecting me to do homework, just railroad me into it. Sucks to be you, I mostly just look stupid.
The fact that they wouldn't discuss terms and budget until I signed also didn't help.
So I'm vechile-less for a while, am back on the bus. Debating picking up a bus pass for next month. The good news is that I should drop some of the flab I picked up from not walking everywhere I like I used to.
For those doing the migration over to DW, both this blog and the ficblog are over there, Ickaimp and Mischif, respectively.
Keep an eye on Mischif starting Boxing Day, we're doing the '12 Days of Murder', a chapter a day.
On the first day of murder, my lover gave to me.... a body in a pine tree.
It was unexpectedly nice.
Weird thing is that the Torrance Book-Off no longer sells Japanese Books. You have to go to Gardena for that. Strange.
The high and low point of the trip came pretty much simultaneously. Eldest troublemaking niece goaded the smallest niece into asking what my name was, because I call myself Icka, but respond to the name I grew up with.
As a joke, I told her she could call me 'Yasha the Poisoner'. She nodded and bounced off, to come back five minutes later, asking if she could call me 'Auntie Poison'.
Yes. Yes, you totally may. <3
Then my step-mom then told both nieces to refer to me by my full given name AND middle name.
Not funny, not cool. >_< You don't do that with names.
But as soon as I got back, my scooter died. As in, it's at 5,000 RPMs and I'm going under 10mph. There's power, it's just not going anywhere.
I've got some friends who work on bikes, but I feel bad for it feeling like I'm always going over with bike troubles, so took to a local shope, CSA.
The prognosis? Clutch/Transmission. The disks aren't spinning to change the speed.
They also had a Honda (Which is the brand I'd like, their small engines are practically bulletproof) scooter for $2400, which they said was a 150cc, like mine. Covering bases, I applied for a loan for the Honda. Also don't have -any- credit, so knew it'd be tricky.
Got word back on Monday that they found one, but it'd be $1,000 down and some 'provisions'. Including a 23.5% interest.
Asked if I could wait until Thursday, which is when I'd be able to scrape that much together, and see about those provisions.
Ultimately decided against it. 2 Major reasons:
- The bike is a 108cc, not 150cc. I'm looking for 150cc if I have to, but would prefer more along the lines of 250cc, so if I have to go on the freeway, it's okay.
- 23.5% of $1,800 is about $425. I can improve my credit for much less.
... from the looks on their faces, they weren't expecting me to do homework, just railroad me into it. Sucks to be you, I mostly just look stupid.
The fact that they wouldn't discuss terms and budget until I signed also didn't help.
So I'm vechile-less for a while, am back on the bus. Debating picking up a bus pass for next month. The good news is that I should drop some of the flab I picked up from not walking everywhere I like I used to.
For those doing the migration over to DW, both this blog and the ficblog are over there, Ickaimp and Mischif, respectively.
Keep an eye on Mischif starting Boxing Day, we're doing the '12 Days of Murder', a chapter a day.
On the first day of murder, my lover gave to me.... a body in a pine tree.