The Red Truck Decade

As you may recall, Bob and I were hot in pursuit of a new(er) Ford F 150. AND we had such specific requirements: conventional rear wheel drive, short cab, long bed, standard transmission... I am happy to report that we have found our truck and it is here!
We did have to drive to New York state and it did take a few anxious weeks of constant Craig's List/Car Fax/Auto Trader/ Car Gurus etc etc to locate the right truck. And not one of those icky odd green ones that I kept seeing. This truck is "toreador red" (Who thinks these color names up?!) I guess the color comes in handy if we decide to herd bulls.

Here's the front in relation to the old trucks back and vice-versa:

We didn't really want the cap on top, but it may prove handy when transporting delicate art work, and yes, that duct tape on the upper right of the cap! But it's just clamped on so we can lift it off and store it behind Bob's studio when not in use.
But here's a trully awful view of our driveway.

What with our Honda, the old F 150, the new F 150 and Mommy's now deceased Subaru, we have four cars in the yard. Looks like a parking lot.... But hooray! We're more than happy with the new vehicle: Bob said it drove really nicely and feels more like a car than a truck. The dealership was an hour and a half away so he had plenty of time to get acquainted with the new truck on the way home.
Both Bob and I confessed that it was a nerve wracking experience. The dealership has been there for like a million years so I wasn't too scared that they were trying to rip us off (despite this weird Soviet-style sales tax switcheroo. Still don't get that...) but we both admit to feeling stressed while spending thousands of dollars. The truck was a good deal and under our price point so I am pleased, but it's still tough to hand over large sums of money even if you're getting what you want. This must be what it feels like to buy art! Hahaha.
So tonight, we can relax, knowing that we have a newer truck and that the second Republican debate is on for entertainment. We're getting Chinese food, a bottle of wine and our Bernie Sanders bumper sticker is getting applied to the new bumper.

The Great Debate

And so the great debate persists: To repair and use the skylight, or just fill it in and make it part of the ceiling...
I am sort of mildly anti-sky light. I am preoccupied with the increased light that spills in overhead. I never feel like it's really dark and private in the bedroom. Someone could be flying overhead with one of those Google Earth hi-def cameras... do I want my picture snapped while catching an illicit nap? And it's always a shade or two lighter than the ceiling even in the depths of night, so that when I can't sleep, I fixate. It's also really hard to find our particular skylight model. I think it's old. Most are now narrowly rectangular and ours is square. I can think of a million more uses for the money that it will cost to replace it.
The proponents of skylights (that  would be Bob and a host of friends that seem to think sky lights are swell) believe that the increased light is a good thing. And that when you crack the sky light open by way of long metal hand crank, there is greater air circulation and it vents the hot air trapped in the bedroom. Those are pretty good arguments for!
In the meantime, we have this picture above our heads. Bob rigged a screen so as to keep flying insects out (just what are they doing that high up in the sky?) and it presents an interesting moire pattern in a quirky green. Is this better than the previous incarnation of a black insulation panel> I'm undecided.
Oh, and the great debate allusion WAS to the first of the presidential debates last night, but I'm too perplexed by what transpired. President Obama should have creamed that shape-shifting Romney, who attempted to paint himself as some sort of centerist! We all know Romney'll change his positions depending on which way the wind blows. Don't get me started....