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Tra-la, tra-la.
May. 8th, 2018 04:37 pmThe Cheeto's ready to start a war. Our crusading #metoo-avenging State Attorney General just quit after revelations that he was metoo'ing multiple women himself in his spare time. And I've had a headache for two days.
Work, on the other hand, has been pretty good and way less stressful than last week. So far. One client tried to beg out of an almost impossible-to-adjourn court hearing later this week, and I talked him out of it. A nice new couple came in today, who I think I can help.
There's still the emptiness. We retired the big water bowl, replacing it with one more kitty-sized. I still see Ebony lurking in corners, hear her licking bowls. We've found homes for much of her stuff. I suspect she has as much to do with the headache as anything, from the tears that are just struggling to burst out.
This morning, we brought Eleanor's Smart car in for service; I pick it up at the end of the day today and leave mine overnight for its 30,000 mile go-over tomorrow, which will include finally getting its snow tires off. One oddity? The BigAssMercedes™ dealership used to have a cute little dedicated side of its sales building for the Smarts, complete with charging station out in front of it. There was nary a trace of it when we went over this morning. They're doing a major reno on the building, so it may be later in the construction, or they may even be getting their own building- but I saw a fellow owner at Timmy's last month who said something implying that Mercedes (or at least this dealership) was dropping the brand. That would be sad, but it would also be consistent with the constant blasting of testosterone coming from the auto industry. Ford announced last week that it is cutting production of almost all of its sedans- just the Mustang and a modified version of our beloved former Focus will survive- for reasons of pure profit. And they're doing it just as the price of petrol is beginning a skyrocket up, in large part thanks to the threat of cutoff of Iranian oil as part of the Cheeto's latest hissy. Last time, it was $4.00 a gallon gas that killed the Hummer and brought some sense back to drivers in this country; we'll see in about a week what effect $3.00 has.
One more client to see today, one car to pick up, and then a quiet evening at home. Too quiet, still.
ETA. I picked up Ziggy at the end of the day, and the person in service explained: Smart is gone from their dealership. Nobody that she knew of is picking up the brand. Apparently, this is a response to the manufacturer's decision to go all-electric starting with this year's models:
The strategy shift is enough to have many Smart dealers rethinking whether they'll continue to sell the quirky ForTwo two-seater.
Work, on the other hand, has been pretty good and way less stressful than last week. So far. One client tried to beg out of an almost impossible-to-adjourn court hearing later this week, and I talked him out of it. A nice new couple came in today, who I think I can help.
There's still the emptiness. We retired the big water bowl, replacing it with one more kitty-sized. I still see Ebony lurking in corners, hear her licking bowls. We've found homes for much of her stuff. I suspect she has as much to do with the headache as anything, from the tears that are just struggling to burst out.
This morning, we brought Eleanor's Smart car in for service; I pick it up at the end of the day today and leave mine overnight for its 30,000 mile go-over tomorrow, which will include finally getting its snow tires off. One oddity? The BigAssMercedes™ dealership used to have a cute little dedicated side of its sales building for the Smarts, complete with charging station out in front of it. There was nary a trace of it when we went over this morning. They're doing a major reno on the building, so it may be later in the construction, or they may even be getting their own building- but I saw a fellow owner at Timmy's last month who said something implying that Mercedes (or at least this dealership) was dropping the brand. That would be sad, but it would also be consistent with the constant blasting of testosterone coming from the auto industry. Ford announced last week that it is cutting production of almost all of its sedans- just the Mustang and a modified version of our beloved former Focus will survive- for reasons of pure profit. And they're doing it just as the price of petrol is beginning a skyrocket up, in large part thanks to the threat of cutoff of Iranian oil as part of the Cheeto's latest hissy. Last time, it was $4.00 a gallon gas that killed the Hummer and brought some sense back to drivers in this country; we'll see in about a week what effect $3.00 has.
One more client to see today, one car to pick up, and then a quiet evening at home. Too quiet, still.
ETA. I picked up Ziggy at the end of the day, and the person in service explained: Smart is gone from their dealership. Nobody that she knew of is picking up the brand. Apparently, this is a response to the manufacturer's decision to go all-electric starting with this year's models:
The strategy shift is enough to have many Smart dealers rethinking whether they'll continue to sell the quirky ForTwo two-seater.
"Electric Smart vehicles make sense in certain markets, but don't make as much sense in other markets," said Ken Schnitzer, chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Dealer Board and owner of two Smart outlets in Texas. "So it might make some sense for some dealers to become service-only dealers."
It's a decision Schnitzer himself is weighing. His two Smart locations are in Dallas and Fort Worth, and he notes that EVs generally are not big sellers in Texas. "Drive times and range can make a big difference — it's not like being in downtown San Francisco," Schnitzer said.
By all accounts, they will continue to service them here, and we will have the option to buy out Ziggy's lease this time next year, or try to find someone who can sell or lease us the newer and rangier electric model. It still comes as something to grieve a little, at a time we're getting plenty of practice at that.
By all accounts, they will continue to service them here, and we will have the option to buy out Ziggy's lease this time next year, or try to find someone who can sell or lease us the newer and rangier electric model. It still comes as something to grieve a little, at a time we're getting plenty of practice at that.