--- It's quiet around here. Blessedly quiet. I just returned from
driving the husband downtown. He had a meeting with some intellectual
property lawyers, but he didn't feel like parking or dealing with rush
hour traffic on the way back, so he's taking the bus home. It's pretty
convenient, on the whole. But since he's absent, and it's quiet, I'm
going to go and edit the manuscript, so no more blogging until this
evening. Anyway, two observations from the trip downtown.
a. My car---Nellie---is not long for this world. Her rear suspension is
going to bust through the trunk and backseat any day now. One
well-placed, small-child sized pothole should achieve the task. (Trust
me, they're everywhere. A Minnesota winter is not kind to concrete.)
Her transmission is also slipping badly between 45 and 50 mph, which of
course says nothing of the hole in the gas tank. I'm surprised she
hasn't already succumbed, but that would be Nellie. She's been a good
car, considering we bought her four years ago for $800 and have taken
her from 218,000 miles to 242,792. She has always started up on the
first try, she's incredibly reliable---it's just that her body is
rusted to hell and back that's the problem. Nellie is a 1982 Toyota
Camry---white, four door, automatic and with a radio that still works
(only you can't see what station you're on---the display has crapped
out, so you have to find radio stations by developing a keen sense of
marketing audience and by utilizing your DJ knowledge---Remy Maxwell is
on 93, Brian Oakes is on 97, etc.). She outlasted our fling with
Marie---a beeeyoootiful Audi A6---and enjoyed the four month respite
Marie provided. She's an truly amazing automobile. When we bought her,
a friend of mine complimented us on our choice---despite the fact that
Nellie truly looks like a piece of shit---saying the body would wear
out before the engine quit running. And as fate would have it, he was
correct. Nellie's spirit is willing but her flesh is weak. In essence,
she's the Grandma Mazur of cars.
Nellie has been there for us in good times and in bad times---which is
saying something because as far as automobiles are concerned, we have
the *worst* track record. Fortunately though, Nellie doesn't care about
any of that. She's a true friend. She's the person that no matter how
long you haven't chatted with them, will always come down to the jail
and bail you out if you should need it. She takes no offense to the
fact you haven't pampered her: she realizes she's not worth it. We try
not to tax her or to take advantage of her friendship because we
realize that she just can't make it around all that well. She's been a
friend for friendship's sake. And I will miss her when she goes. b. I
have finally lived here long enough that I can get in and out of
downtown without missing the entrance to the freeway!
It only took eight years for me to accomplish this! HA!