: Little differences :

Saturday I got new tires for my minivan and replaced two of the wheel rims. Earlier in the week I replaced the battery as well. Altogether I've spent more than $3,000 since my arrival getting my car into pretty tip-top shape, so it should last me for a while.

It's funny how even familiar things here in New Jersey are a little different than they were in Houston. For example, when I went to the Costco store here, which is otherwise nearly identical to the Houston store in terms of prices and merchandise, but they sell Italian sandwiches with roasted peppers and onions at the snack bar to appease the large Italian population here. They also closed the tire shop for a half day in order to pump out the septic tank, something unheard of in Houston.

One thing I like about New Jersey is that all gas stations are required to pump gas for you, and it doesn't cost any more than what everyone normally pays for self-service. So you can sit in your car and have someone pump the gas and not feel like you're getting ripped off. Which is great because hands get dirty handling gas pumps.