You know what’s a fun car to customize? The MINI Cooper.

If you go to their web site, you can choose different tops, different wheel colors, a navigation system, a continuously-variable transmission (for which I lust), and tons of other cool stuff.

And the best part is, the suggested retail price is actually really affordable! It starts at $16,300, and I built a fully-loaded one for only $21,250. Unfortunately, since it’s still really new, the dealers are still putting premiums on the price, so you won’t find it that low until this winter at the earliest. Otherwise I’d recommend it to Traci.

I was just reading an article on Ten Things Your Auto Dealer Won’t Tell You, and I think I was tricked by about six of them. The other four were about trade-ins, more trade-ins, leases, and used cars, so they didn’t apply to me. But alas, that’s in the past, and next time I buy a car I’ll be more prepared. I just have to go in there with the opinion that I can turn around and go elsewhere if they won’t give me what I want for the price I want to pay. Oh, and I have to really hate and distrust all salesmen too.

If you’re new to me, you can read the highlights of the past year so you’ll feel like you know me…

If you’re not new to me, I’ve been without arms for the past year, so I couldn’t write anything, but I’m better now, and here are the highlights…

• I played Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls.
• I bought myself a new car.
• Olive and lime green became my favorite colors.
• Claire and I broke up. We got back together about a week later.
• I was called in by a friend to play Steve, the upstairs neighbor, for two performances of A Streetcar Named Desire.
• Claire and I broke up again. We got back together about two weeks later.
• I sang “Buddies Blues” from Follies in a musical revue.
• I finally got to play Action in West Side Story.
• Claire and I broke up once more, this time for keeps.
• My friends Maile and Amie and I became regulars at the 24-hour Super K-mart Center in Aliso Viejo.
• Our friend Traci left for San Jose State University. Jonathan, Amie, and I drove to San Jose two weeks later to visit her.
• Claire and I became friends again.
• I started rehearsing for Babes in Arms at Irvine Valley College.
• I started working full time at the office instead of at home. No more trips to Super-K at 3am for me. So sad.