After a few weeks, the state DMV mailed me the fancy paper title to my new car. But there was an error! It listed a lienholder, which was kind of a shock to me since I paid with cash and as far as I know I don't own anyone any money at the current time.

The problem is that the dealer had requested a certified check. The dealer's back office presumably saw the check and assumed it was actually the bank loaning the money.

So I went to the bank, and they got in a bit of a kerfuffle because the standard lien release form specifies that loan number X has been paid off on date Y and the bank releases its security interest on the car with VIN Z. But there never was a loan, so they didn't have a X or Y to fill in to the standard form. I got passed up the chain to a person with sufficient authority to write a custom letter explaining that they never even had a security interest in the car, and if anyone says otherwise that person is wrong. (So to speak. I'm exaggerating the legal language.)

Now, I had a couple of options. I could keep the title with the fictitious lien and along with the letter releasing the non-lien, the car would be free and clear to transfer someday when the time comes. But that means two pieces of paper to track instead of one, and frankly I'm reluctant to keep around a legal document (the title) that has a clear error on its face. That sort of thing can lead to problems down the road.

The second option would be to go to the DMV. For $20, they'll issue you a clean title with documentation that the lien has been paid off. I presume that they would also have accepted the letter the bank provided for me, at least the bank assured me they would.

But then I'd be out $20. I realize that $20 is a very very small fraction of the cost of my car. The DMV is much closer than the dealership, so driving to and from the dealership probably cost me $1 in gas and depreciation. The time is probably a wash, driving time compared to time waiting in line at the DMV. But for the principle of the thing, I went to the dealership and argued until they agreed to send off the letter and the title themselves to the DMV to get a corrected one issued. They were reluctant because they didn't want to spend the $20 themselves, of course.

So I expect a nice clean title in the mail in a few weeks and I'll have the satisfaction of having wasted my time to get someone else to fix the paperwork error that they themselves caused.

Posted by: Boviate at 06:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 479 words, total size 3 kb.

So, I got one of these:

It's a 2017 Honda Fit. While I loved my 2004 Chevy Cavalier, it was a coupe, and getting a baby into a rear seat was not something I looked forward too. Plus this car is a lot safer overall, with ABS, traction control, airbags, and a structure that will hopefully protect the occupants during a crash.

I'm going to miss the old girl, but I got a great trade-in value for it. The dealer thought it likely that it would be sold to an "enthusiast" and would end up with a turbo- or super-charger by next summer and be tearing up the track. One can only hope. Although if it ends up as some poor single mother's commuting machine, that's an honorable retirement too. It's got a lot of miles left in it, so I hope it gives someone else loyal service.

As for me, I'm adjusting. I keep reaching for a non-existent clutch. Also, the rear of a hatchback is heated space, unlike my old car's trunk, so I'll have to put my lunch in an insulated container. I'm still figuring out where to stash all the stuff that I keep up front– sunglasses, work ID, phone charger, etc. The sound systems is better than the old car, so there's that.

Anyway, here's hoping for another decade plus of reliable transportation. Odds are the next car will be electric, and perhaps even autonomous.

Come spring I'm going to get a hitch receiver installed, and then get a hitch-mount bike rack. My current rack won't really work on a hatchback. Later I could put in the wiring harness and actually tow with it, too. The manual says not to tow, but the exact same model of car sold in Japan and Europe, made in the same factory and the only difference being the speedometer set in km/hr and the language of the owner's manual, has a rated towing capacity of 1000kg and a hitch as a factory option. That's enough for a light cargo trailer or a pop-up camper.

Posted by: Boviate at 05:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 349 words, total size 2 kb.

Genetics testing is amazing.
It takes just a few milliliters drawn from the mother to isolate enough fetal DNA to screen for chromosomal abnormalities and other problems.
Really, we're living in the future.
Let's make sure it gets even better from here on.

Posted by: Boviate at 02:40 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 48 words, total size 1 kb.

It is with great pride and some apprehension that I announce my wife and I are expecting our first child, due at the beginning of May.

Posted by: Boviate at 11:01 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 27 words, total size 1 kb.

Turns out there's a time and a place to exercise one's First Amendment rights.

The place isn't a library, and the time isn't during a question-and-answer session with a government official.  At least according to Kansas City.

For bonus points, when the librarian objected to the off-duty cop arresting the patron, the off-duty cop also arrested the librarian. The librarian, naturally, was the one that had hired the off-duty cop to be there was security anyway. I hope he paid the invoice, or heaven knows what'll happen next.

Posted by: Boviate at 12:14 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 91 words, total size 1 kb.

I haven't watched the presidential election debates for the last few cycles. Anything actually substantive will be covered by tomorrow's news. The rest of a TV debate is deceptive– I care about positions and decisions, not about body language and eye contact.

Posted by: Boviate at 10:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 43 words, total size 1 kb.

Today was my first day back at work after two weeks of vacation. At 3 PM my boss called me and said "Welcome back. Audit is all over us about [a program I run]. I'll send you all the emails. There's a conference call to get us back on track tomorrow at 2 PM. Expect to do most of the talking."

OK, I exaggerated slightly… my boss didn't say the first two words of the quote.

That said, for the last year of my Marine career I was the guy giving the audits, so I know how these things work. I expect I've got this. At least I expect I've got it well enough that I don't need to polish up the ole' resume quite yet.

Posted by: Boviate at 10:54 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 128 words, total size 1 kb.

My niece counter has incremented. Little Diana was born yesterday via c-section, after a very long labor. Baby and parents are healthy.

Posted by: Boviate at 08:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 24 words, total size 1 kb.

I went for a run today, and also signed up for my first half-marathon, which will take place in a couple of months. I've got some work to do on my running.

But also today, I found out that a brother-in-law went to the hospital for a cardiac catheterization, and they decided to put in a stent then and there. Obviously they didn't like what the catheterization revealed.

This is a good reminder to me about keeping up my fitness. I work an office job with long hours, which has caused me to gain weight. Just the other day I saw some photos of my father at my age, and he's about one inch shorter and probably thirty pounds lighter. He sure wasn't jogging. So not just running, I need to work on my eating too.

But circling back to the cardiac stent, we live in an age of miracles. Doctors analyzed the function of the beating heart, and performed some plumbing repairs. How awesome is that? Awesome in the modern sense, but also in the older sense, in that I am filled with awe.

Anyway, BIL, get well soon. And I'd better get fit, or I'm going to get embarrassed at the half-marathon.

Posted by: Boviate at 11:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 207 words, total size 1 kb.

After a winter of unprecedented warmth, tonight we're getting our second major snowstorm of February. Perhaps it's karma, perhaps it's regression to the mean.

But most likely, it's that the warm December and January meant the lake never froze, so when cold finally did arrive, the lake effect snow machine was rarin' to go.

Posted by: Boviate at 04:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 58 words, total size 1 kb.