Several years ago, when I first got a call about working here at Celilo Group Media, I had just torn the carsharing coupon out of the book that very day (it's called Chinook Book in Portland). Had I heard of the book? Of course I had! Did I ever redeem the coupon...er, no.

It wasn't just calculating the cost of gas, insurance, and upkeep that finally made me take the leap and sell my car--it was realizing that I drive so infrequently that spiderwebs connected the window to the steering wheel like something out of a cartoon. My bike was carrying me a dozen miles a day for free while I paid for spiders to practice tightrope walking between leather and glass. I sold the car and patted myself on the back (plus bought a pair of new shoes). And then, immediately, I missed an opportunity because I didn't have wheels.

That very weekend a friend's birthday BBQ was held at a park that was too late to bus to and too far (and vertical) to bike happily (6.6 mi, if you must know, uphill). As a big fan of biking for transportation, I felt very, very lame. As a newly liberated car free person, I had failed. When people worry about selling their cars, it's situations like this that they think about. My new shoes hadn't even arrived yet and there I was, with orange ginger carrots (make them!) all ready to go, staring at Google maps in dismay.

And then I had to send a note on Facebook, admitting to all invited my lack of foresight and wimpy calf muscles. Tsk tsk, me. In order to live a smart, car-less life, I had to do better.

So I signed up for Zipcar. The Twin Cities doesn't have Zipcar, but you have HourCar, a longtime couponer with Blue Sky Guide. Use your coupon with HourCar to save $25 on an application. You'll pay as little as $5 monthly and $8 per hour and 25 cents per mile. Perhaps reward yourself the book of Commuter Waiting Games or The Bad Girls Guide to the Open Road.

I admit, it's a relief knowing I now have the option, should I need it, to use a car. All cars near me are available right now, so if I need to dash out the door, I could.

My next tasks: Scanning my card to open the car, and finding out if I can drive in other Zipcar cities including Seattle and San Francisco, and...London and Toronto.

Moshi moshi, carsharing!