This time, we rented a 2001 Nissan Altima GXE Limited Edition from Budget. The car had some good power and comfy seats, but the interior was a bit unrefined. It had many of the same elements that the interior of my Xterra has, but with a worse air-conditioner control unit.
Some of the highlights of the annual gift exchange: a Clapper, some clothes from Gap, a globe that says “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” in 32 different languages, and the biggest surprise of them all: my mom wrapped up an old Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist doll that I had when I was a kid. I thought that I had thrown it away or that I gave it to Goodwill, but Mom said it was in some random box in the garage. Time has not been kind to Charlie. The heat in the garage has misshapen his head a bit so the mouth stays open but is hard to close. It is like a Twilight Zone episode – the one where you try and get rid of a maniacal puppet and it keeps coming back. Altogether now: “I’m Talky Tina, and I’m going to KILL you!!”