Rod Roddy said it best.

"A NEW CAR!!!!"

As promised, here are pictures of the new car. After some debate and a thoroughly convincing test drive, we ended up going with the 2011 VW Jetta.




She's a beaut. She's got zip and some serious power when she's in sport mode. She's got leatherette seats, a sunroof, bluetooth connectivity with my phone, 3 months of Sirius sat radio, and a cold weather convenience package with heated seats, heated side mirrors, and heated windshield wiper fluid nozzles. And you could probably fit at least two bodies in the trunk, even without the flip-down back seats. I think I'm in love.

We dropped off the Civic Saturday morning. Since I had already taken everything out of the car, I couldn't connect my phone to play some final parting tunes... but I had left a Beatles CD in the radio, so we drove to the dealer listening to Ticket to Ride and finally Yesterday. A fitting last ride in the Civic. I won't lie... I was happy to see her off.

Picking up the Jetta was a breeze (as was buying it). If you're looking for a reputable VW dealer in the North Shore area, shoot me an email. I'm happy to make a referral because they rocked. We drove off, I connected my phone, and it was time to play the first song in the new ride:

Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. It seemed the natural choice for my first German car.

It was then followed by Nena's 99 Red Balloons (which, cranked up in the rockin' stereo system in my car, has a tendency to make me drive rather fast). Then I moved on to some other new car musts: Vampire Weekend, Warren G's Regulate (timely what with Nate Dogg's death - sad), and Journey's Don't Stop Believin'.

So this leaves me at a bit of an impasse. I'm very into naming my cars. My very first car, an old Mercury Tracer, was affectionately named Beatrix Kiddo; it was shortly after Kill Bill Vol. 2 had come out and was my favorite movie of the moment. Then there was the Civic, named Barracuda because it was my song of choice on Guitar Hero. I initially thought I'd call the Jetta The Valkyrie: a winged warrior, but when I got in it and drove it around, I'm not sure if that's the best. Then I thought I'd name it Nena, after the singer who did 99 Red Balloons, because it sounded so awesome in my car. But that was a passing thought. Then I figured Rhiannon, the Anglo-Saxon/Celtic goddess of movement and horses. A friend of mine suggested Gretta... for Gretta the Jetta. I can't make up my mind!

Here's where I need your help... I'm going to let y'all name my car! What do you think? Do you have your own suggestion? Take the poll or add in your own idea for a name!

The poll will stay up until Sunday night sometime and then I'll reveal the winner on Monday. I'll either pick the name with the most votes or choose an awesome name from your suggestions.

Readers, I put this into your hands.

. . .

By the way, just a quick follow up from Friday: Redefinition Day was fantastic. The zero-balancing session was exactly what I needed, not only for clarity of mind but for my lower back (I'm battling a bursitis flare-up). I had a wonderful lunch: chicken cordon bleu crepe (chicken, ham, bacon, swiss cheese, dijon mustard... drooling as I type this) with a pint of organic pale ale. And the movie Poetry was wonderful. Could have been an hour shorter, but I liked the overall plot (if predictable) and artistic feel of the film. I capped off the day with a scrumptious dinner at a local restaurant with my husband, just relaxing and enjoying the self-care. Many of you did nice things for yourself on Friday too - but it's not just limited to my day. Pick a day this week to do something celebratory for yourself, write about it, and post a link in the comments here so I can celebrate you too!