Hello, It's Me

Not sure if anyone still has any active alerts about this blogsite, anymore. Still, I want to revive it. Still, I thought that I would forge ahead, and see what becomes of it. Ahem...

Surfing It:

I am reminded that sometimes I have no control over timing.

Earlier this week, I was talking with my beloved Theresa, and I was saying to her, "Ya know? I think that we should seriously think about using alternate forms of transportation. That we should save driving the van for special occasions, getting away and going to the store and taking care of mom and that, but I think that it's time to walk my talk more when it comes to regular commuting."

So of course it came as little surprise, when two days later, while driving around for a few errands in the rain, the van starts from stop light, and within seconds makes this k-chungka sound, when it goes no further.

Three of us push it two blocks and cab it home, defeated. I shook my tiny fists at heaven (literally, I did it -- seemed like as good a time to do so as any, and, well, I always wanted to know how that felt…), and screamed that this was certainly not what I had meant. I needed some more transitional time. Right.

The next day, the mechanic tells me that my transitional time has transitioned. The van, which has a really bad consumer rating, needs a wholly new transmission to the tune of about $3,200. A few other things that we should tend would bring it up another grand, if we wanted to keep it. The mechanic seems honest—he tells me that he wouldn't bother. Later in the day, Theresa read some consumer feedback about this particular beast, and found that we were lucky to have made it this far. It's the slow dismemberment and eventual scrap heap for Ruby, I'm afraid.

So today, while taking the bus to run some errands, I was serendipitously picked up by my friend Phil, who arrived at the corner the precise moment that the bus, too, arrived. He took me to his house and gave me a great CD (thank you, thank you, thank you!), and for added good fortune, I got to say hi to his girlfriend, too! They dropped me off at the station where I met folks for some conversational practice Spanish/English exchange.

The weather was beautiful, the serendipity good, the bus schedules even cooperated—who'd have figured? Still, if anyone is looking to sell a small car, relatively cheap, let me know—I well prefer the gradual approach to transitions.