Car Troubles

If "vehicular manslaughter" is when a car is used to kill a person, what do I call it when I kill my car? Is that "mehicular jeepslaughter?" Maybe "manhicular carslaughter" or something more generic would be better.

Anyway, don't you hate it when you say something good about something you like, then it fucks up? Like last night, I hyped Firefox. Today, their extension and skin download site is unavailable. Swell.

Last week I told a coworker "My Grand Cherokee is absolutely bulletproof - you should get one of those." Today, it dies when I get to work. Yeah, it's a simple thing - either it needs a new battery or an alternator - but it pisses me off. I can't get a ride, my AAA card is in my other wallet at home 20 miles away, my coworker is out so I can't leave, and my mechanic isn't open on Saturdays...fuck fuck fuck. I'd do it myself but my tools are at my parents, 60 miles away, which is quite a hike on foot before nightfall.

I almost - almost - bought a motorcycle last weekend. I just didn't want to drop that much cash before Christmas on myself. Now I wish I had so I'd at least be ambulatory this weekend. And I almost took a job where I'd be closer to home and all my friends so I could at least get a ride. But but but...

How to you preface a telephone call to a friend, asking them to drive 15 miles out of the way to pick you up and take you home, then bring you back to call a tow truck? They have lives and concerns too. "Hey, guy...what's up? So, you don't have anything important to do this afternoon, right? You're studying for the LSAT? Ok, well how about..."

I need a loser friend, just one, with nothing better to do. No job or school or anything, but some kind of disposable income and a car to give me a ride.

Fuck, this is ridiculous. "No, we don't stock that alternator..." "Nope, don't have that one in right now..." "We don't have one, but I can have one here in the morning..." Grrrrr......

So...

It ended up being a bad battery connection - the kind of thing that is fixed in minutes. I paid for the diagnostic rather than opting to replace the alternator myself and I'm glad I did - the NAPA lifetime jobbers were close to $300 for my Jeep. But I did learn some lessons today. I have to rethink my kit placement - I may even spring for a Thule roof box or something to stow critical gear in. We'll see.