DRIVING A CONVERTIBLE

I cannot claim to have driven the great cars in the world but I can certainly proclaim just recently that I have done The Mustang.  What a car to drive!  The latest 5^th generation 2014 model is light years away from the rest.  And the convertible I had for three days, from highways to backroads was a superstar, an American Idol, and I am drooling with hyperbole.

Let’s start with engine power.  To an average driver like me, more used to a regular compact, engine power is an idea that is as fancy as the Indianapolis 500.  But when I was turning into Highway 101 in the Olympic Peninsula, a trailer I thought was safely distant suddenly was just a few yards tailing and inching close scarily.  A gentle suave step on the pedal and I was safely ahead in seconds.  Wheww!  What power!

And not just zoom  …  When parking passerbys would give that admiring look and would utter just one word “Mustang” with that upswing tone.  What a presence!

If there’s any car that is 100% testorone, a climax at every turn, it’s the Mustang!  Man!

But I did not drive just a Mustang, I drove a Mustang convertible.  And in the first week of May, Northwest  weather, mid-70s and sunshine, was perfect.  With the wind chill factor, as you sped along top down, it was Nirvana on asphalt or Portland cement or dry mud.

Here are some tips I discovered driving a convertible:

I heard once that with driving with the vinyl top, it can be noisy inside the car.  Not the case, the Ford engineers have done a marvelous job attenuating external sound and positioning speakers at the base of both driver and passenger doors to contain the sound even when driving top down.  Open –air symphonic!

You have to bring a windbreaker  – it may be perfect sunny and warm standing but driving at 6o to 70 mph the wind chill can bring the temperature as low as 10 degrees or more. This means the body will lose heat faster.  And just in case the sun is above you, a baseball cap will do the trick.  Although driving head naked is what convertibles is all about.

Avoid dusty roads – I think you know what I mean.

And if you are self-conscious.   Don’t.  Other drivers are often busy in their own lanes that you are just another car on the road.

One of the idiosyncracies about convertibles is that 9 times out of ten, the driver is often a man, in his 50s at the youngest.  Unless it’s a VW Beetle, most likely a woman in her 30s, or a Mazda, a more affordable convertible for a man in his 30s.

Next time I will drive a top down at night especially on a full-moon.  I wonder how it feels.

SALE! CLEARANCE! REALLY?

If ever there are sale terms one must be skeptical of, first and foremost is the word SALE.

A car dealer in Vancouver BC told me the dealership would raise the price a few weeks before Sales week so that when they do advertise Sales, in spite of the discount, the dealer is still making a hefty profit, equivalent if not almost at par to that of pre-sale.  But of course the general public would not know unless they have been scouting around for a good few weeks.

Another word you should be wary are the screaming 75% OFF, or 50, or whatever fantastic number.  Too good to be true?  You’re right because often the two defining words up to are in very small letters in less obvious colors.  So when I did walk in a store in Vancouver’s International Airport with a big signage up to 75% OFF and asks for what items are 75% off, not a single one.  However, there were shirts for 20% off with an outrageous price.  Was there a 75% off item to begin with?

Reminds me of the time I was looking for a hotel room in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Along the main drag, dozens of hotels/motels had neon signage advertising bargain $30 room a night - down from the regular $50 - $80.  Everytime I walked in to inquire, there was no more $30 available, but plenty of the $80.  Was I seeing a trend here?

What about the usually serendipitous Dollar store.  Well blink again.  Right before the dollar sign is the descriptor starting.  That means there are items pricier than a dollar store.  In fact, I later found out the mortar and pestle I got for $15 in a starting Dollar store in Marpole, Vancouver was selling at half that price at a supermarket.

Other dubious terms that have diminished in zing through the years:

• Clearance – originally meant several notches below a Sale price.  But these days, clearance can mean as low as $2.00 off regular price, let’s say $15.00.

• Artisanal, Artist Colony – anyone can claim to be an artist or artisanal.  After all “exceptional abilities” can be relative.  Just look at modern art.  Whenever I see one, I always say to myself “I could do that.”    When you see these A words, it often means A prices.

• French – No other race has successfully promoted themselves as purveyors of  high quality, haute cuisine, haute couture.  True to a large extent –  but often an indication of haute prix (price).

Usually SALES are tepid for the consumer whenever there is a:

 

• Monopoly or near-monopoly or single-owner chain.  Find out whether two stores with different names might actually be under one corporation.

• Strong Government oversight as in BC’s case when it comes to liquor.  BC Liquor the only entity that can operate and sell liquor stores in the province is a crown (meaning government-owned) corporation.

• Lack of customer advocacy – nothing will happen if no one says anything

For the consumer, the only way to find out if it’s a good deal is to shop around.  Fortunately online shopping can help save time and energy.  And there are some good ones like www.comparisonshopping.com which lists both online and brick and mortar.  An added feature is customer reviews which will help you make a wiser purchase.

RAW HONEY – AN ELIXIR?

In my search for spices in a Whole Paycheck Foods supermarket in Bellevue WA, I ran across a shelf of bottles with big black labels RAW HONEY. 

 

Two weeks earlier, I ran across an article in the magazine Vegetarian Times (vegetariantimes.com) “Sweet On Honeybees”, September 2012 issue , p. 88.  It was actually an interview with the so-called Bee Doctor, Chris Harp, cofounder of Honeybee Lives (see www.honeybeelives.org) – a New York based organization conducting programs to increase public appreciation on the role of honeybees in our ecology, especially in agriculture.

 

Mr. Harp said that according to the FDA, 75 percent of the honey in the U.S. is not the real McCoy. “Most of what’s on the market today is ultrafiltered, with the pollen removed, so all you have is the sugar content.  Also honey is naturally thick, but you’ve got these factories that want to fill bottles quickly.  Heating honey to thin it kills the enzymes and the microbes that make it a healing product.  It still tastes good, but there’s no longer the healing benefit.  So buy local, and look for raw honey, which has never been heated.”

 

So after some online research, I found out the following from www.benefits-of-honey.com:

 

• Raw honey contains amylase, an enzyme concentrated in flower pollen which helps predigest starchy foods like breads. 

 

• Honey is an excellent source of carbohydrates, boosting performance, endurance and reduces muscle fatigue.  Now I take a spoon of honey before I head out to the gym.

 

• The site recommends drinking a honey and lemon-juice ascribed as an alkaline food, highly beneficial in the treatment of obesity without the loss of energy and appetite.   Mix one teaspoon of raw honey (unheated) with the juice of two teaspoons of lime or lemon juice in a glass of room temperature or lukewarm water.  No heating – remember enzymes are temperature sensitive.  Drink once in the morning on an empty stomach.

 

• Also, a spoon or two of honey before bed is believed to be able to fuel the liver, speed up fat-burning metabolism, ease stress hormones and help us slumber soundly.