Zip Cars!

Rocky is MIA as of late due to work in the mountains and up until now I've been just fine using a friend's car here and there when I needed to haul something bigger than my Cannondale could handle..which isn't often.  I made the decision to sell the only car I've ever had (owned for 6-months) last April before I headed to Alaska.  Felt great because as well all know with vehicles, with the freedom comes the expense.  I've been eyeing the zip cars  strategically placed around campus for some time and I finally just bought the $25/year membership as a back-up plan.  I'm sold!  I finally decided to complete the home brewing equipment kit I purchased a few weeks back and had to find supplies at (GASP) Wal-Mart.  Haven't been there in quite some time and walking through the doors made me feel like I'd just returned from Benin!

But first, zip cars.  Car-shares - What a fantastic idea.  Among the many Prius-es (Prius-i?) around, I had to reserve "Emmy" the Ford Escape because everything else was booked.  Not exactly the eco-image I was going for but whatever, the glaring zip-car logo on the side took care of my need to flaunt my greenity.  I show up at my reservation time that I so conveniently set up online a few hours prior, slap my personal zip card on the windshield sensor, hop in and drive away.  There was a half tank and they only request you leave a quarter, so Emmy and I were ready to roll.  When you DO fill the tank, please use the included gas card above the visor.  The total service is $8/hr but I end up spending less anyways because I'd fill a friend's tank just for goodwill.  As a last bonus, these are the nicest cars I've driven since staying with mom and dad.  No burning oil smell, smoke, or monster truck muffler faux-pas.  Again, I'm sold.

And yes, my eco-friendly car-share ride rolled me right into the Wal-Mart parking lot where I was desperately looking for a 15L kettle to steep my grains and boil my malt in.  No such luck and happy for it!  I may end up spending a few dollars more at the local brew store but I was so over Big Blue by the time I walked out, I'd have given my first born corgi (ok, maybe not) to avoid the droves of folks who had piled their carts high with corn dogs, fritos, and pallets of soda.  Not that I'm unsympathetic to the cost of food and hey, baby's gotta eat something!  It just threw me for a loop after my latest Whole Foods shopping spree.

So think twice before you fire up your 11-mile/gallon ride and start looking around for the strategically placed Prius.  It's totally worth your dollars!