We will need a rig. I cannot go into more detail here at this time for a number of reasons, but suffice it to say that we are about to embark on an epic journey that will take us through the backwoods of this great land. So this week, for the same price it would have cost us to rent something comparable, we bought a 1998 Jeep Cherokee that had been driven 99,000 miles by one owner.I have never bought a car before, a fact that my friends outside of New York find nearly impossible to believe, or assume is some sort of personal green initiative. Not this time, hippies. In high school I had the occasional use of my mom's 1974 faux wood-paneled Toyota station wagon. In Bellingham or on Orcas Island I never really needed a car. In Seattle I either walked or took the bus or borrowed my mom's considerably more luxurious Nissan Ultima. When I met my much-better half she had a tiny little Toyota the size of a miniature stick of gum, which became known as The Chiclet. When we moved to New York we explored the full reach of the Metropolitan Transit Authority. So before this week I had never purchased or really fully owned a car.

Posting has been light this week because in addition to the truly inhumane deadlines I'm under right now, partially inflicted on myself through inadequate time management, my brother and I have been going back and forth from Grand Central to the Yonk to expedite the purchase of this vehicle. When we get where we're going and start our next journey, if we're not too attached, we will sell it and get something more fuel efficient. But for this one, we will definitely need a rig.