Very handy

The little"cat eye" on the mirror is very handy when trying to see what's to the left of the driver.  There is a blind spot when the driver looks over his/her left shoulder, but that is all but eliminated with this mirror.

I still love this car but I test drove the Abarth and I have to say
 I WANT ONE!!!!!

Road Trip!

We decided to take the Fiat instead of the pick-up for a road trip to my family's ranch in the hill country.  It was a very pleasant experience.  Getting onto the interstate was easy and the little car was able to "hang" with the 18-wheelers no problems at all.  When we exited the interstate for the smaller 2-lane state highway, again, no problems.  Passing on 2-lane highways always requires a car to move quickly to pass and get back into the driving lane and the Fiat did that with ease.  I do think that having the turbo would have made that task much easier.
I can't wait to test drive one in February!

A Great Italian Sandwich

Jimmy's    www.jimmysfoodstore.com  is a fun little Italian market in Dallas.  It's located at 4901 Bryan Street in Dallas.  Now, my friend Claudia, who is an Italian girl from New Jersey,  says it's not exactly like the deli/markets in NewYork, but it's still a great place to find yummy Italian things.  (She does complain when she sees the Italian bread wrapped in plastic instead of paper) The meat balls are the best and the fresh pasta is delicious.   Also their marinara sauce is very tasty.  If you go to the back of the store that's where you can order the BEST sandwiches ever.  I think that the Calabrese Panino is quite possibly the best sandwich I have ever eaten.  The day we were there a couple from New Orleans had ordered the muffuletta and they were raving about it as well. You can take the sandwiches with you or you can sit at the tables they have either inside or outside.  YUM!!!

Tacos

Fuzzy's Taco Shop

Plano, Texas

Address    2205 N Central Expy Ste 130, 75075 Phone       972-312-8226

www.fuzzystacoshop.com (for locations near you)
If you like tacos, chips and queso, cold beer, and a relaxed atmosphere, you'll like Fuzzy's.  I've tried the migas, the jumbo shredded beef burritos, the shredded beef tacos, the fish tacos, and the chips and queso - all good.  You order at the counter then wait for your order to be called and you pick it up at the window.  It gets a little crowded in that area because the drink machines are there as well as customers picking up their appetizers and meal orders.  It is what it is  - no waiters - very casual - but the food is tasty!

School Has Started!!

Ok I know if you write a blog you are actually supposed to write something.  But school has started and  I haven't had a chance to catch my breath!!
     I would  like to thank the wonderful Rick Perry and Senator Florence Shipiro and all the other Texas state senators and representatives who voted not to support public education this past session.  Thanks to you,  we have gone backwards in the education of young children.  I am sitting with 26 four and five year olds in my class - there are 5 of us on my kindergarten team all with 26 kids in our classes.  Luckily my school district  - even though many teachers were laid off last spring - has seen fit to allow us to interview for a sixth teacher. Help is on the way!!

Enough of that and back to something fun with the car.  If you like woodfired pizza you have to try Goodfella's.  www.santinosgoodfellas.com It's located at 8240 Preston Road in Plano, Texas.  It's run by Sunny Samuel and Sal Russo - two really nice guys from New York.  That's Sal  in picture.  The pizza is amazing with just the right amount of sauce and just the right amount of of crispness on the crust.  The pasta  and sandwiches are very good as well.  The service is great.  It's a fun family place, too- Sal is there on Friday nights tossing pizza dough with the kids.
We usually order the Goodfella - with less garlic and extra sausage.  YUM!!

Little Things That Matter

When you first get a new car, it takes a while to get to know it.  There are a few little things that I like about the car.   I like the digital reading that shows all the information you can see in this photo.  I especially like the digital speed because I find that in the daylight the regular speedometer  is hard to read.  (It is not as bright as it looks in the picture)
     The car doesn't have a sensor that turns the lights on and off  automatically, but you can just turn on the lights and they go off when you turn off the car and come back on when you restart.  Since the Fiat 500 is a small car I don't mind driving with the lights on all the time anyway.  ( I was glad to know that they actually did go off automatically because I the first time I drove with the lights on I forgot to turn them off)

Trapped in the showroom

Due to major renovations to the concrete surrounding the showroom entrances, my car was unable to be moved out on the day I bought it.   The next day, when they could get it out, the original wheels were put back on. We picked it up at 5:30.  Here comes the food part of the blog! To celebrate we went to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants -      
              San Miguel                
              506 West University Drive 
              McKinney, TX 75069-4823

                (972) 548-2345

      http://sanmiguelgrillmex.com/

They have very good margaritas and really cold beer.  The chips and salsa are 

some of the best around and everything from the menu that I have eaten has 

been excellent. I try to choose something different every time but I usually end up going 

back to my favorite - cheese enchiladas.  The service is great  and so is the price.