It's not sad to groom your car, use two buckets, a grit guard and a lambswool mitt (or two if you're doing it properly - one for the upper panels, one for the lower grittier panels...) and dry your car with a special waffle weave towel (or two - a spare in case you drop and get grit on one - you don't want to spread grit over nice clean panels. Sonus towels rock!) or spend several hours cleaning it. Myself and the Other Half do this to our respective vehicles weekly, and in shifts. That might be a bit sad, actually...
Is it sad to schedule the ritual in your mobile phone's calendar and have it remind you, though?