FATTY cars are SMART too!

Today was my first official day of work at Associated Press Television Network (APTN)...(Friday was my intro day). So all day I ran around with Francois (pronounced Fran-swah) who's showing me the ropes. He's a lanky cameraman from the south of France. He speaks English and Spanish so we get along great... HE IS FABULOUS! Around 11:30 we went to the European Parliament to cover a story...my first one! =). We loaded the company car with the gear and off we were. This brand new van/SUV is SoOoO nifty!

After shooting the story and interview, we made our way back to the car and I realized it was unlocked. I asked, "Is it ok to leave the doors unlocked around here?" He replied, "Oh it was locked." Apparently the car locks when it senses the key has left its perimeter and unlocks when it senses you're coming back... How brilliant!! Francois didn't even take the key out of his pocket. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL. It automatically starts the engine when it senses you're near!! No key needed! In fact, there's not even a key. Rather, it's a memory card-looking thing and you can keep it in your wallet! Now, that's an intelligent car!! Wonder if that little "smart car" can challenge this!

We also drove with the sun roof open...which spans the length of the suv; the ENTIRE roof is glass. It was sunny and about 75 degrees... I was loving it. PS: In case you're wondering... it's a Japanese car. Figures, right!

Tomorrow I'll be meeting my senior field producer (she's on holiday) and getting my press credentials to enter NATO and the European Parliament, Commission and Ministry. How official, lol =)