Category Archives: Transportation

Mazda 5 Shopping

I grew up being obsessed with cars, and while I’m not a complete car nut today, I do still like cars. I like envisioning a new car and trying to figure out what vehicle would be fun to drive and still practical, despite the fact that I can’t afford a new car. But the fact that we have a new kid means potential new car needs. So my head starts spinning.

Yes, I’m a geek.

Today we decided to calm that obsession a bit by going to the dealer and checking out a few cars. That may seem counter-productive, but I think it actually helped. Of course we took Lexi along and I snapped a quick picture of Lexi in the back of a Mazda 5, to Abby’s mortification.

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Replacing Headlight Bulbs on a 2002 VW Jetta

Changing the headlight bulbs in a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta—not a lot of fun, but it is doable. Below are some basic instructions from my car repair experience as a service to fellow Jetta owners.

The passenger side headlamp is pretty easy. You just pop up off the little cover, untwist the ring, pull out the bulb and pull out the chord. Sometimes the chord is a little tricky—thanks to a sneaky tab, but that’s it.

The driver side headlamp on the other side is a different story, thanks to Mr. Battery. The easy thing to do would be to remove the battery and get total access to your headlamp housing. But this is supposed to be a simple do-it-yourself job. Removing the battery is a bit more involved. No thanks. But doing it without removing the battery could use some instruction in order to do the job with a minimum of profanity. Continue reading Replacing Headlight Bulbs on a 2002 VW Jetta

Gas Price Hysteria

Gas prices keep going up and our friend Steve over at Knightopia gives us the Top 25 Ways to Save at the Pump, a collection of fuel efficient practices culled from the web.

Of course Steve forgot one: Park your SUV.

How about a ground rule for these days of sky-high gas prices? No complaining about the prices unless you’ve actively tried doing something to lower your gas usage. Tonight on ABC World News Tonight they interviewed a woman who was really mad about the rising gas prices, but when asked if she’d give up her Lexus SUV you said no way. Get a grip.

The U.S. uses more gas than any other country (25 barrels of oil per year per person, vs. 10 in the UK) and it’s about time we started paying for it. A little conservation and efficiency never hurt anyone.

Twin Cities Gas Prices Soar

I hate complaining about gas prices. But here I go.

Gas prices in the Twin Cities hit $2.69 yesterday. $2.69! I never thought I’d be so excited to see $2.49 advertised at a gas station in Champlin. I was so excited I whipped in and filled up, even though I needed less than 5 gallons.

This is ridiculous. Makes me want to add Twin Cities Gas Prices to the list of sites I check every day. Also makes me want to buy a hybrid.

Light Rail Transit in the Twin Cities

When I returned from my trip to Los Angeles I decided to take public transportation home. Taking the bus home from the airport used to be a pretty easy deal. But now that the Twin Cities have light rail, it’s not quite as easy.

Light rail runs from the Mall of America to the airport and on up to Minneapolis. And they’ve integrated the bus system and light rail to the point that only one bus now stops at the airport, instead of the several dozen that used to. Instead they moved them on up the light rail line, which means you have to take the light rail up to a new transit hub to find your bus. It basically adds an extra transfer. Now I know why light rail ridership has been so high.

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The Satisfaction of a Job Done Yourself

The other day I took my car to Tires Plus to get an oil change and have the tires rotated. I usually change the oil myself, but the prospect of writhing around on the dirty, wet and cold concrete in sub-zero temperatures wasn’t too appealing (of course this week the temps are in the 30s so it wouldn’t have been so bad). While in the shop I noticed a “rainy day” special they had to change your oil and your wiper blades–which reminded me that I needed to change my wiper blades. Their “rainy day” service cost $50–more than twice the price of an oil change.

I decided to stop at AutoZone on the way home and do it myself. The wipers cost $12 (but only because my wipers come in two different sizes–wha?!–and I had to buy two sets. Though next time I won’t have to buy them, so they really did cost only $6.) and trying to install them in the parking lot took maybe 15 minutes.

But more than the cash saved, I drove home with dirt on my fingers and the satisfaction that comes with a job done yourself. I felt nothing about the oil change and tire rotation. For all I know they just put a sticker in my window and drove the car around the block. Even though I was doing the responsible thing and taking care of my car I gained nothing. Doing it myself, however, had tangible benefits.

The Ol’ 16

TransferOn Saturday I hopped on the ol’ Metro Transit route 16 and rode into downtown Minneapolis for the Twin Cities Book Festival to see Chris Baty speak (author of No Plot? No Problem! and founder of National Novel Writing Month). He was great, funny and encouraging, just like the book.

But most of all I enjoyed the bus ride. It was the exact same route I took the entire two and a half years I worked at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The Book Festival was held at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC), across the street from where I used to work.

The sites from the #16 sure have changed in the year and a few months since I stopped regularly riding.

On the corner of Lexington & University the old shopping center behind White Castle is being torn down to make way for an Aldi grocery store (with a Rainbow and Cub just down University this seems kind of silly, but whatever). Since I go by this corner every day I already knew it was coming down, but I got to see the carnage up close.

University Avenue is now the “proud” home of two adult entertainment stores within a few blocks from one another. How is it that an area that previously had zero such stores can now support two?

The Burger King across from Ax Man’s is now “Chicken & Fish” — I wish I had a picture of their new sign. The Embers across the street from that is now a South China Sea restaurant.

A little farther down at University & Prior the new Menards is almost open and looking sharp. It sure beats the delapidated hotel that used to occupy that corner (of course there’s still a dive of a hotel across the street).

At that point I settled into my book and didn’t notice much until we pulled into the Minneapolis downtown zone. The new light rail Hiawatha line was in full effect, rather impressive looking (if pointless from my perspective in St. Paul).

When the 16 finally came to a stop at 4th & Niccolet I saw the wonder that is the new Minneapolis Library. I watched them tear down the old one, and now the five stories of the new one tower above the street, though it’s mainly just pillars and floors. It’s supposed to open in 2006.

At this point I switch buses and hop any of a handful of routes that head down Hennepin Avenue. From this vantage point I saw the old Fairmont building, which is soon to become the fancy new boutique hotel, the Chambers Hotel.

Finally I get off the bus at Spruce & Hennepin, across the street from the former headquarters of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, soon to be the expanded home of MCTC. What a ride. I should spend a Saturday rehashing my former life more often.

My own personal love affair with the automobile

2005 Mustang GTLast night we went to the Great Minnesota Get Together. Ate lots of food, got free stuff, blah, blah, blah.

We also wandered through the Ford display (last year that had really nice free caribeener key chains and pins; this year they had girly bandannas and mini frisbees), where I stumbled across the 2005 Mustang GT. I’ve seen pictures of the car before and heard talk about a return to the original styling. But I hadn’t seen the car in person. Wow. They wouldn’t let you sit in the car like all the other models, but I still got a good look at its powerful lines. They also had a 2005 Shelby Cobra, but who wants to drool over something you’ll never have.

I once drove a Mustang. Granted, it was a 1988 with a wussy engine, but who’s comparing. It’s not like I could drag race the thing. It was a maroon LX hatchback with a 2.3 liter, 4-cylinder engine. It had a manual transmission with a tape player and no radio. It was my first car.

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