Sorry I see things different than you but then I was only going by several post you wrote. I don't doubt you run in to racism, in fact I see racism happening too damn often. I just found it sad that you seem to blame any negitive (or what you perceive as negitive)action toward you on someone being racist. The Apt living forum is full of posts complaining about rude and nasty neighbors. When you live in Apts you have a good chance of sharing your living space with creeps,idiots or some form of low lifes.These type of people bother everyone around them. You seem to think you are picked out because of your race first and always. I am not saying it hasn't happened, I am sure it has. After reading so many of your posts screaming racism I started seeing a pattern. Then when you wrote in asking if you had made a big mistake bringing up that your husband traveled to Cuba often. You made it sound as if saying such a thing was a big NO NO, living here? As if the average person in the US would have a problem with that? I can tell you that the average American could care less where you or your family travels.You seem to be first to seperate yourself as being different with anyone you come in contact with and if things don't go smoothly your first reaction is to blame "race" Your race, their race. People have run in's with weirdo's everyday as they go through life and race has nothing to do with it. Believe me you don't have to be of another race to be treated wrong by others. I apologize if you felt I was being insenitve or doubting your negitive experiences with racism. I didn't mean to do that. I was trying to show you that you come off as a person who blames every situation that doesn't go your way on racism. To me you seem a bit racist yourself. Could that be true? Assumming your new landlord was going to treat you poorly because your husband travels to Cuba was a racist thing for you to think. You were the one being racist in this situation. Maybe not knowingly but you were. I am assume this woman was not the same race as you, right? Now would you have made such an accusation about her if she was the same race as you? I bet even if she was born and raised here in the US but your same race, you would have never worried about such a thing.Everybody has it in them to be racist and I believe everyone has been and everyone will be again sometime down the line. This why WE ALL need to work how we see the world and how we treat others. The only person we have control over is ourself.We all have the choice to reject or allow others hate to become instilled in our own hearts. I am sure it is much more easy for me to remember this than others because I am sure I don't have to deal with racism as much as many people. No matter how Easy or difficult one has , it is equally as important for all to remember. Peace

Grab a 3-year-old car to evade the worst of the depreciation hit, unless thou art rich enough it doesn't matter. Any car can break. Every car has stuff that wears out. Many variables to consider. How long to you intend to keep the critter? If long-term you want a car whose parts will not destroy your budget. Some parts of the country are "friendlier" to "foreign" cars than others. The upper midwest's rural areas beg for the purchase of a Chevy or Ford since the locals know how to fix 'em. If in a bigger city with a Honda, Toyota, etc. dealer your options increase. There IS sumpthin' to be said for the Consumer Report's list though they are not infallible.

Driving from Washington down through Oregon, you might consider driving up to Mt St Helens to see the volcano in person. http://mountsthelens.com/ I'd also suggest possibly staying at some McMenamins hotels... they are quirky but so is the Northwest. :) http://www.mcmenamins.com/Hotelshttp://www.mcmenamins.com/Hotels Consider Silver Falls State Park and the town of Silverton. http://www.yelp.com/biz/silver-falls-state-park-sublimity Cannon Beach is a beautiful place. http://www.cannonbeach.org/ And if you want some cheese... you can't miss the Tillamook Cheese Factory. :) http://www.tillamook.com/cheesefactory/index.html And I can't resist one more. If you love books, a trip to Powell's is in order. It's the largest independent bookstore in the world. http://www.powells.com/

I've had them and don't recommend them at all. The temperature isn't great. You're far better off with a traditional cooler and ice or ice packs. 12v coolers will bring the temps down a maximum of 40ð but mine never did that nor have I seen one that does. Keep in mind it's also compared to ambient temperature, so when it's 80ð-90ð is when you really need it and ie performs the worst. Plus they're not well insulated, nor well sealed, contributing to the problem, and there's not much room in them. It can help a little I guess if you put things in frozen and/or very, very cold but don't expect it to cool your drinks. It won't. 60ð-70ð beverages are to be expected. I would not try to keep perishable food in it. It's bacteria haven. Also if opened often, it's not much more than a heavy tote. You can't leave them running long periods of time while your car isn't running. They will run your car battery down rather quickly if you don't have a very heavy battery and good alternator keeping it at maximum charge. I tried using my big marine deep-cycle battery with it and it only lasted a couple hours. As for warming, there too, they won't go above about 120ð (ideally but don't bet on it) and again, if it's a cold day look toward the 40ð maximum so if outdoor temp is 50ð, 80ð-85ð is more like it. And even at 120ð you're right in the danger zone at best. If you transport short distances and food is at or exceed the optimal hot/cold temperatures, they might help a bit, but you also need to pre-cool or pre-heat the unit too. A cooler will keep it far better for both hot or cold. Without knowing your specific intentions it's hard to say whether it's a workable solution but from my experience and thoe of about 3-4 others who have had them. Not one of us still uses them nor will we waste the money on another one. Great idea, poor execution. BTW, the big point most, including myself, don't/didn't realize is they're not a mini-refrigerator. A great idea in theory, but in practicality, they're of little value.