Three Things Friday - Is That Allowed?

1. I am AMAZED at the number of you who do not know what a whoopie pie is. My guess is you just call them something else.  I am especially surprised Char who cooks such yummies doesn't know.  Here is the Wikipedia definition and we all know Wikipedia is always right of course.

The whoopie pie (alternatively called a gob, black-and-white, bob, or "BFO" for Big Fat Oreo) is an Americanbaked good that may be considered either a cookie, pie, or cake. It is made of two round mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake, or sometimes pumpkin cake, with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them.^[1]

I have seen other flavors than the ones mentioned but the pumpkin is to die for.  Around here you can buy them in the gas station/convenience store places. I prefer the bakery ones, in fact I don't think I have bought one in a convenience store but I know my son has.

2.  The car saga: this story will continue tomorrow but may I say I think car shopping is about as stressful as it can get. I have been a mess today, a forgetful crazy ditz.  This morning I spent a good 20 minute frantically searching for the key to this new car I brought home from the dealership yesterday that wasn't mine. I knew the key had to be somewhere but damn if I could find it.  I had no idea where it was as it wasn't anywhere a key was likely to be. I even went down and went through recycling and was thinking about going through the trash.  I called my husband, I was abrupt with a friend who called, I.........couldn't............imagine.........calling...........the ......dealership..............and.........saying..........I.........did..........not..........have..............the.............key.
I went through my laundry from yesterday twice - to see if I left it in my short's pocket.  Part of the problem was it is a single key, not a bunch of fun stuff on a key chain that is easier to find.  Something finally clicked and I remembered I was wearing a jacket.  Sure enough, it was in the jacket pocket.  And it took me 20 minutes and many anxious moments to get to this realization.

(After finding the key I went for a relatively short but fast for me run that really helped with some of the stress.  The stress helped with the speed.  Yeah for running.)

Aside from the key debacle, I spent hours on the Internet last night researching cars, financing, incentives, various dealers' inventories.  For many reasons I was quite sure I didn't want the car I had.  Too much pressure to buy, it was a "used car" with 1500 miles so wasn't eligible for incentives and rebates.......(didn't know this until I researched) But there aren't many cars out there due to the tsunami so was I going to be able to find one that I did want?  My wonderful wonderful wonderful cousin did a ton of research for me and called many many dealers and salesman today to find out more, do some dealing for me. As I was at the dealers today he is on the phone with a different dealer getting exact numbers for me. It was a dealer I had requested a quote from on the Internet last night.  A salesman called this morning and was much much more low key - important to me.  He worked hard to get my business.  So I was in a good position when I went back to the original place today.  I didn't want the car.  Then he tried to make a different one work for me but bottom line was $80 more a month for the payment and higher financing. So tomorrow I am off to the other place where the car is all ready for me - once I sign a lot of papers of course. I will take pictures. Tonight I took my car out for a last ride.  I have had it since Dec. 1999(it is a 2000) and it has 192,000 miles on it so we have spent A LOT of time together. All the salesmen were astounded at those numbers. I got my money's worth out of that car.

3. And who knew there was so much to say about serial killers?  I have been asked what the series are.  My favorite is by Chelsea Cain. They take place in Portland, Oregon and pull you right in.  There are four in the series so far.  The other series is about a detective who was raised Amish.  It is by Linda Castillo.  I think there are two out and one more to come.  Thanks for the other suggestions.  Darlene had a very creepy story about serial killers. Go back and read my comments if you are interested in seeing it.

I just finished a different book I loved.  (Chris K will prefer it to the serial killer as it is more of a chick book and he prefers those.) It is The Blessings of the Animals by Katrina Kettle. I hated to finish it. It was one of those.  Many likable characters in the book which always works for me.