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Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts

Things To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight


Stoplights abound and just like standing in line at the grocery store, sitting behind all the other vehicles at a stoplight is just a boring time waster. However, I have some great activities for those times that you are sitting at a stoplight just waiting for it to turn green. You don't have to stare at that blaring red light any more!

I have to maximize my time because there simply are not enough minutes in a day for me to accomplish everything! Think about it the same way you would coupons when you are checking out with all that delicious food and saving loads of money. It is the same concept except that the savings is time.


Number 10 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



Check the air in the tires.

Don't get out of the car! You can only do this if you are at a non-busy stoplight and there aren't any cars around you. Open the car door, hold onto the steering wheel with your right hand and lean all-l-l-l-l the way out the door. The goal is to look under the door to see the front tire and then turn to look at the back tire. If the rubber is smooshed a little on the tire, you know you need air and can assume that the two passenger side tires need air as well.

If you have long hair, there is an added step. You will need to hold your hair up with your left hand as you lean out the door. If you don't do this step, your hair will drag on the pavement or in the gutter dirt.


Number 9 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



Since I'm sure you carry paper towels and window cleaner in your car like I do, another task you can complete is cleaning the windows of your vehicle. Since you do not want to remove your seat belt, only clean the driver's side window, half of the front windshield and the rear mirror.

Be sure to save the paper towels because they will probably be mostly dry by the time you reach your destination. After you park, you can take a minute to clean the other half of the windshield or wait until you get back in the car again.


Number 8 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



Clean the trash on the seats, beside the seats and on the floor. Of course I'm sure you have a car bag for trash, so this will be a speedy chore.

Remember, you can't take off your seat belt, so objects like umbrellas or tennis rackets will help you reach the stuff that is too far to get to by hand.


Number 7 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



Another item that should remain in your car is cleaner that is safe for the plastic and leather that make up the inside door covering.

With a clean paper towel, clean the driver's side door. You have plenty of time to concentrate on the little crevices, so polish the whole thing until it shines.


Number 6 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



Spray the same cleanser that you use to clean the door panels on a clean paper towel and begin cleaning the dashboard. This may take several red lights, but be sure to get all the nooks and crannies. Since you want to maximize the time spent in the car as well as have a clean vehicle, be sure to wipe down the steering wheel, around the steering wheel, inside the air vents, all the buttons, and every surface of the dashboard itself.

This spot is very visible to everyone, so a spiffy clean dashboard is definitely a spot to keep clean.


Number 5 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



The haven of all paper mess in the vehicle is probably the glove box. The main thing to remember about cleaning out the glove box is that you don't want to lose sight of the stoplight which is very easy to do when involved in the excitement of accomplishing so much good in the automobile. My suggestion is to remove the contents of the glove box and put it all on the passenger side seat. This will enable you to take one piece at a time and still be able to glance up quickly to see if the light has turned green yet.

I'm sure you will find many old receipts or salt shakers from the fast food drive-in. In my case, I find napkins, plastic spoons and paper covered straws because my pit stops are usually ice cream joints or Krispie Kreme Doughnuts.

Anyway, you might actually fill up your garbage bag with just this one chore, so make sure you always keep extra bags in the glove box. Not only does it ensure that you will have plenty of refills for the trashcan, but also prevents you from putting too much trash in the glove box in the first place.


Number 4 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



The sun visor can cause a concussion if too many things are attached too it. Not only will it get too heavy and make it impossible to stay up tight against the roof, but the things that are over stuffed on it will begin to fall off at random times. Driving down the highway and suddenly having a pen or small memo pad fall on your nose or in your eye could be quite dangerous.

The best course of action, of course, would be not to store anything on the sun visor. If that statement stresses you out because you just have to have all fifty CD's stored in that CD storage thing, then just don't stick all the other stuff between the CD storage thing and the sun visor. Remember friends, this is just a suggestion and I'm not trying to boss you around.


Number 3 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



Pick up all the coins that you previously felt was a waste of effort to retrieve. Yes, all those pennies that you let fall in the floor that are now under the mat or slightly under the seat can be reached with ease. Just lean over and pick them all up. You need the exercise anyway because you are always just sitting at red lights or in front of the computer! Stay optimistic with this task because you could find enough change for a dinner at a five star restaurant if you have been really lazy about dropping coins.


Number 2 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



This is definitely number 2 on my list of things to do while sitting at a stoplight. We all have clothing slide and move out of place, so now is the perfect time to adjust your bra straps, pull the undies out of where they don't belong, button all the buttons, zip the zippers, slip the belt through all the loops, pull up the socks or stockings, tie the shoes, adjust the buckles looser or tighter on the shoes, fix the cuffs, straighten the tie, make sure no food is in your teeth, primp on the hair and add lipstick or any other cosmetic on the face. Just don't spray perfume in the vehicle because it will get all over the clean windows and dashboard!

With everything adjusted, laying flat and in the right place, you can step out of the car with confidence because nothing is showing that shouldn't be exposed. Plus, you will feel more put together and ready to greet anyone you might know in the parking lot.


Number 1 Thing To Do While Sitting At A Stoplight



By now you know that I am actively engaged while sitting at a stoplight waiting for it to turn green. That is why I do not see you when you are in the car next to me waving like crazy trying to get my attention or picking your nose. Yes, I really do hate waiting as much as I hate wasting time while I'm waiting. I also like things clean, so I try really hard to keep the car around me sparkly. I think sparkly is happier than gooped on dirt, don't you?

Anyway, the number 1 thing to do while sitting at a stoplight while waiting for it to turn green is...take pictures. You did read that correctly. I said, take pictures. Not just any pictures, but pictures that you can send to your family and friends with an accompanying text message from your cell phone.

Not only will this keep you connected with the people you care about, but it also will give them a laugh because you aren't going to take pictures of the scenery. Oh no, don't take pictures of anything outside of the car. The photos you are going to snap are the mundane vehicle parts on the inside of the car, your clothing and you. Either fill them with lots so gushy love thoughts or put on the Robin Williams' humor and think of funny text messages to go with these award winning car phone photos.

For instance...



I can't get home fast enough to see you.





Singing...My world is empty without you babe





Did you Ketchup with your chores yet?





Not doing your chores can be as dangerous as air bags.




PMS in full swing. I'll be home in 10 minutes.




I had beans for lunch. You may not want to ride to the grocery store with me.





And that, my friends, is the top 10 things to do while sitting at a a stoplight waiting for it to turn green. I bet you are already anticipating your next car ride!





The Redhead Riter





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Women Speak For Automobile Repairs


Just the other day while having lunch with a room full of men, I told them that it would be so great if I knew how to fix my own car. I envy how easily they talk about one automobile problem after the next and then explain how they repaired it. As a woman, I always feel uneducated about car repairs. Often, automobile repair shops have taken advantage of my lack of knowledge and I've spent thousands of dollars needlessly. The term, "They saw me coming" pops into mind frequently.

I have found a splendid site that will help women walk confidently into the automobile repair shop armed with the necessary knowledge to avoid being ripped off. Let me show you as we pretend I own a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 truck and it has a problem. First, I log into RepairPal and type in 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. On this page you will find:
  • Problem Reports
problem reports
  • Questions & Answers
questions & answers
  • Ratings & Reviews
ratings & reviews
  • Recalls
recalls

Those pages alone sold me on the site! So much information by REAL people that have nothing to gain except the satisfaction of being helpful. Using our example vehicle, let's pretend someone said that my truck needs a brake job and I have no idea all that the problem entails. I then visit the Auto Repair Encyclopedia and click on Brakes to find a whole bunch of information in language that even I can understand.

brake repair

All of this is so helpful, but there is still more! RepairPal also helps with finding reputable vehicle repair shops. Since I used to live in Dallas, Texas, let's use Dallas auto repair as the search example for old times sake. After looking up our term, I am brought to Dallas Auto Repair Shops and Mechanics. I am able to research the Top Rated Repair Shops and Mechanics in Dallas and read comments about the shop, service and mechanics.

reputable auto repair shops

Is that awesome or is that awesome?!!

Whether you live in a city with over 1.2 million people like Dallas or a podunk town with a population of 18,000, RepairPal is a site well worth using frequently.

Am I hooked? Oh yeah! Maybe one day I will be able to sit down at the lunch table and know exactly what it means when I say something like, "The steering developed a clunk type noise from the upper intermediate steering shaft, so I had it replaced under warranty because it was covered."




The Redhead Riter





My opinions are valued and I was compensated by my friends at RepairPal.com for this post.





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I Always Wanted To Be Blond


blond hair

Some of my earliest memories consist of envying blond girls with long hair that looked and moved like golden threads of silk. Of course, I didn't have hair anything close to that description. My hair was a coarse, orange bouffant that wouldn't move even if I stood in a hurricane with sustained 100 m.p.h. winds.

Thus, I envied.

Then my sister was born.

Yes, she had really thick, white blond threads of silky hair that grew to her waist and moved elegantly even as a child.

So I envied and tried to live a vicarious blond life.

Years passed and I had a daughter who, you guessed, had a head full of the most beautiful, silky blond hair. By now my sister's hair had turned into a darker brown shade and I began to live once again as a blond through my daughter.

Alyssa bought a car a few weeks ago. Remember, she a a teenager and she is blond. Two very important facts.

This is our conversation today...

(My phone rings with "Jesus Take The Wheel" by Carrie Underwood as the tone which immediately lets me that the call is from Alyssa)

"Hello."

"Mom, I have a flat tire."

"Oh no, where are you?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm in the school parking lot. When I came out, this other student who is a guy says, 'Hey, did you know you have a flat tire?' and when I looked, it was totally flat. He is changing it for me now with two of his friends," she said without taking a breath.

"That's nice of them," I said while thinking that no one ever has offered to change my tire even when I was young! Another confirmation that being a cute, blond teenager has advantages.

"Mom, the guy said, 'Do you have a spare tire?' and I told him that my car was new to me and I didn't have one. He said, 'If this is a new car, you have a spare tire in the trunk' and I told him that my trunk was empty!"

She stops to take a breath or maybe it was just a half of a breath.

"So he insists on seeing inside my trunk and when I opened it, I said, 'See, it is empty.' Then he reaches down and lifts this thing and there is a tire!!!! By now Mom, all three guys are laughing and poking fun of me."

I started laughing so hard I couldn't hold it in as she continued.

"Then he asked me if I had a crow bar and I told him I was a girl and I didn't know what a crow bar was and didn't carry tools. They just laughed at me and said they were sure I had one. So he looked around my trunk and found a crow bar and said, 'This is a crow bar' and just laughed and teased me."

Laughing my head off, I said, "Alyssa, we have been in my car's trunk hundreds of times and you have even watched my tire being changed so, what happened to all that knowledge?"

"Mo-om! I don't know! Anyway, they were all three really cute!"

Then I really laughed!

Being a cute blond teenage girl definitely has advantages even if a blond moment strikes.

Like I said, I always wanted to be blond!








Mom of a blond...in all respects!

The Redhead Riter




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Smart Cars are Terrifying Cars


Smart Car


This is entirely my opinion, but you look at the pictures and tell me what you think about the Smart Car.

The Smart Car is:

Cute

Gets Great Gas Mileage

Saves Money

Saves the Environment

However,

If had been near New Orleans

not too long ago

you might have seen

two trucks and a Smart Car

on the road

in an accident

which is why I

don't think saving money

at the gas pump is worth it.

They are just too small

on roads that are occupied by

much larger vehicles.

Smart CarSmart Car

Do you want a Smart Car?













The Redhead Riter





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