Andy Laub

So the scooter phase is done for now, I think,as I have once again been longing for my car. I looked at a couple last weekend (and was absolutely smitten with a red 99 Accord V6 Coupe) but now I am driving my same old same old. I am loving it still, but I want to get some money aside for a newer one next summer (the Accord was great, but I’m thinking VW Passat or Subaru Legacy GT if I can find one that is reasonable). We’ll see when we get there, I guess. I also have my eye on the Acura CL and TL from that era, since I wouldn’t feel as though I was abandoning the ship of Honda if I went with one of those. Then there’s the Volvo side of things. So many choices.

We replaced the rather large computer desk (like 6′ x 6′ in an L shape) with some 36 x 18 metal shelves from Le Target. It looks better, holds more, and takes up so much less space in the (formerly) cramped bedroom. In the picture you’ll not only see the shelves, but my lovely G3 and Abe’s Alienware, as well as an ancient Marantz receiver and some older Bose 201 speakers. It is a fantastic sounding system, with the only source being the G3.

I met yesterday with a really nice person from our local paper. They are apparently trying to put together a couple of magazines and are recruiting freelancers – it sounds like a fun side project so I hope I’m included.

I bought Franz Ferdinand after about a month of deliberation, and I am actually pretty pleased. I also imported a Von Zipper sampler that’s been sitting on my desk for who knows how long. 19 more songs until I hit 3000. I have been trying to wrap up Grand Theft Auto Vice City, and I am happy to say I like it again. Appearance is very different from Driv3r, but it is so much more fun. I can’t wait for the next installment.

A friend of ours has procured some kittens, and they are the cutest thing in the world. We went to check them out yesterday, and I was surprised because I’d forgotten how small kittens are. Also incredibly awkward, in an adorable way.

I only have $500 left to pay off on the moped!

We went to see my parents on Saturday and they ooh ‘d and ah ‘d about ABE’S NEW CAR. I must say that I like it an awful lot, too. Anyway, parents – it was strange walking around the house, because it seems so much smaller than when I lived there. I don’t know if it is because I was under their wing and it was comfortable at the time or because our place has 11-foot ceilings, or both.

The new Porsche 911 and I have come to a mutual understanding. I will no longer mourn (publicly) the loss of the Boxster headlights and it will maybe be mine someday. It is certainly a gorgeous car as evidenced by the desktop I now have at work.

I am back in a clothes-buying state of mind. I spent a bunch of money at AE, including for shoes. Their shoes have always been fantastic to me, and cheap as well. I also have serious intentions of buying many shirts at Express when we get there at the end of the month. I love their shirts.

There was this one time where I had this blog and I didn’t update it for like two weeks. Wait – that was now. Anyway, here I am with a list of fragmented thoughts:

• scootering is fun, biking is almost as fun, especially with the weather finally getting nicer.
• bought Kanye West’s the College Dropout and Jay-Z’s Black Album. Kanye’s is better.
• also bought the Kill Bill vol . 1 soundtrack – also good.
• also also bought Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. MGS2 is good, Hitman is hard.
• still enjoying the Getaway and eagerly awaiting my reserved copy of Driv3r.
• finally updated my blog with more meaningless blather nobody cares about.
• thinking about a new phone (camera!) but there aren’t any good ones around here. Yet.
• we gave the cat another bath the other day – he liked that a lot
• I need to go rollerblading sometime.
• it’s finally almost summer and I’m happy about that. I think

At some point earlier in the year I started to go through motor vehicle withdrawal (I abandoned my poor car when we moved, since I live just across the river from my job). Abe has been obsessing on and off about scooters since a couple of years ago. He’s been anticipating the purchase of one in June of 2005, when he finishes his master’s. I’ve always just gone along with it, but I’ve been longing for a vehicle with an engine more and more. A scooter seems to be the solution, since I know I couldn’t trust myself with an actual motorcycle (and I couldn’t afford one anyway). So then the question was: which one?
There were a few formidable options. I really liked the Aprilia Mojito and SR50, but we don’t have a dealership around here, and I didn’t want to deal with getting one home. The SR50 was just too pricey, anyway, albeit really, really handsome. With locality factored in, the competitors were narrowed down to just two: the Honda Ruckus, and the Yamaha Zuma. It was a tough decision. Here’s what I figured out.

Advantage : Ruckus

Well, it’s a Honda, and you know how I feel about those. As a matter of fact, the whole spur of this scooter craze was the Honda Metropolitan. The Ruckus has a great look to it. The finish is great, and it’s a downright cool vehicle. The sheer utilitarianism makes it really fun. The gage finish is also strongly utilitarian, similar to that of an old tire pump. It was comfortable, too, and very quiet.

Advantage : Zuma

Well, the Zuma has pretty much every other advantage. What it lacks in appearance (which is subjective), it makes up for with performance. Acceleration and top speed are noticeably better than the ruckus, and the exhaust note is a little more aggressive. It has a nicer cockpit, despite a cheaper gage finish, in that it has a separate gas gauge. There’s an extra storage pocket in front of the left knee (nice for a cell or sunglasses), and the under seat area is enclosed and lockable. Stopping is also faster thanks to a front disk brake, and the wheels are alloy as opposed to steel. The body panels seem to be easily unbolted which would make for a seemingly easy repaint, since the available colors are somewhat cheapened by the ultra-glossy plastic.

The Decision

I wanted the Ruckus. I really did. But I needed/wanted a scooter that wouldn’t struggle to maintain the speed limit. As a result, we now own two red Zumas. I’d really like to refinish mine, ideally in a neutral color. It might be fun to do a flat color with a clear coat, and perhaps get some decals before clear coating it as well. We’ll see where it goes from here.